Message from the Board President

Holly Cook Macarro, Board President Red Lake Band of Ojibwe

Welcome and thank you for joining us for American Indian Graduate Center’s Spring 2021 edition of The American Indian Graduate Magazine. American Indian Graduate Center was built 50 years ago with the fundamental purpose of creating opportunities for Native scholars to have equal access to attain higher education. Since inception, we are proud to have empowered more than 16,000 Native students representing over 500 Tribes in all 50 states. Their achievements are undeniable, and impacting our work toward visibility and self-determination. Krystal Tsosie (Navajo Nation) is conducting groundbreaking research on genetic determinants of pre-eclampsia, specifically in pregnant women. Christopher Villarruel (Ajumwawi Band of The Pit River Nation) is working toward a degree in forestry with the goal of building his own natural resource management LLC to offer sustainable forest and hydrology management services. Representative Deb Haaland (Pueblo of Laguna) was nominated as the first Native Secretary of the Interior. These individuals are among many that our organization has empowered on their academic journeys. When American Indian Graduate Center creates opportunities for our students to achieve higher education, not only are we empowering our scholars to pursue their academic goals, but we are impacting Indian Country as a whole. According to the American Indian Graduate Center Economic Impact Study, American Indian Graduate Center scholarship recipients employed in the workforce amounted to $349.4 million in added income to the U.S. economy that year, which is equivalent to supporting 5,844 jobs. The present value higher future earnings scholarship recipients will receive over their working careers is $157 million, which they are then able to reinvest in their communities. The average annual rate of return for our scholars is 16.3% — a greater return than a 30-year average 10.1% return to the United States stock market.

Reflecting on our 50-year legacy, it is obvious to me that the power and strength of our scholars and alumni cannot be emphasized enough. Whether in their Tribes, universities, corporate offices, the international space station or even the Department of the Interior, our alumni have created an incredible impact in their communities. American Indian Graduate Center is dedicated to fulfilling our mission and vision to empower all Native students across the United States as they pursue undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees — and we invite you to support our work today, tomorrow and for the next 50 years. Miigwech (Thank You),

Holly Cook Macarro President, Board of Directors