Success Stories
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Justin
Nez Perce
We recently had an opportunity to sit down with newly appointed Northwest Indian College (NWIC) President, Dr. Justin Guillory. He was enthusiastic and eager to share his thoughts on the value of community-based education, athletics, family, tribal sovereignty, and his professional and academic journey. |
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Kenora
Hunkpapa Lakota, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
Kenora was the mother of two children, ages two and four, when she made the decision to move 500 miles away from her home in Minneapolis to enroll at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. Kenora was always interested in both math and science, and chose to study business because “I wanted a career that would allow me to provide for my family. |
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Kevin
Crow
Kevin (Crow) is a father of two daughters and has helped raise, mentor, and guide several foster and adopted children. Kevin served for 15 years in the military, and earned the rank of a Noncommissioned Officer (NCO), which led him to his decision to become a nurse. |
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Kristan
Tohono O’odham
Kristan has been attending college for the past few years, but within the past two she has dedicated herself to attending full-time. This is no easy task, as she has a husband and three children, ages 14, 11, and 2. Because family life is so important to Kristan, she says she tries to structure her life around her family and be involved with her children's education as much as possible, because “I feel that this is the foundation of who they will become later in life.” She says by attending college, she is also trying to set the example of the importance of higher education to them. “I hope that they witness the hard work and sacrifices it takes to attend college AFTER establishing a family, whereas it seems to be more flexible to attend college right after high school,” she says. |
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Lonnie
Sicangu Lakota
Lonnie (Sicangu Lakota) completed the next big step towards his path as a leader by enrolling in law school. After two years of active leadership as the only American Indian to serve with the Youth and Family Services Policy Council as treasurer and member of the Board of Directors, Lonnie realized, “Leaders must be willing to take on tasks that allow them to step outside of their comfort zone in order to assist others. Leaders also have a responsibility to be a voice for those who are not often heard.” |
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Lynn
Oglala Lakota/Crow Creek Sioux
Lynn’s experiences are the embodiment of her Lakota name, “She Helps Her People.” Lynn is a 2010 master's degree graduate of Oglala Lakota College (OLC); a Lakota language teacher; a health technician for diabetes prevention at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Indian Health Services; and volunteers at a youth detention center. |
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Marie
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Marie is a graduate of Leech Lake Tribal College in Minnesota in liberal studies with a STEM emphasis. She was selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as one of its 105 best and brightest interns and fellows for the NASA Student Ambassador Program. She was the only student from Minnesota and was chosen from a roster of students that included people from many well-known schools, including Harvard and Purdue, nominated for the honor. NASA managers and mentors nominated the recipients from the hundreds of interns and fellows engaged in research and education opportunities across the agency. |
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Marjeanna
Comanche
After a divorce and a layoff from her defense-contracting job in Ft. Worth, Texas, Marjeanna (Comanche) decided to seek a college education to provide a better life for her two children. But after an illness, she had to postpone her dream of an education for seven years. |
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Maxine
Gros Ventre
Maxine (Gros Ventre) suffered a devastating loss when her son, a deputy, was murdered in the line of duty at the Fort Belknap reservation. She felt responsible because she had brought her son to the reservation from the city “because Fort Belknap was supposed to be a safe haven, it was our reservation.” |
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Melinda
San Carlos Apache
Insects are not high on many people's list of loves, but Melinda happens to love them. She graduated from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas and earned a master's degree from Purdue University. A member of the San Carlos Apache tribe from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Melinda says what really “bugs” her is that if it was not for the American Indian College Fund, she would have been unable to complete her education studying the creatures that give most of us the shivers. |
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