Message from the Chief Executive Officer

Xẹst Sx̣lx̣alt (Good Day)! Welcome to the Fall 2021 edition of The American Indian Graduate Magazine. In this magazine, we focus our thoughts on Our Collective Story. For thousands of years, storytelling has been an intrinsic part of our identity as Native people. Oral tradition has served to pass our knowledge and history across generations and has empowered our communities.

But for far too long, our stories have been erased and obscured. The Boarding School Era, which began as a result of the Civilization Fund Act in 1819, attempted to assimilate our communities under the directive, “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.” Today many of our relatives are facing the impossible task and emotional responsibility of identifying and bringing home over 6,000 of our children who were left in unmarked and mass graves at these institutions. As a granddaughter of survivors of these, I recognize this is only the beginning of this difficult journey. I send my love and prayers to all our communities, as we face this traumatic time together.

ANGELIQUE ALBERT, CEO CONFEDERATED SALISH & KOOTENAI TRIBES

These institutions were our first interactions with western education systems, which has resulted in a traumatic and oppressive relationship with the U.S. education system. Inaccurate portrayals and false narratives of our history continue to be taught across K-12 and higher education.

American Indian Graduate Center, among other Native organizations, was created to address these false narratives. Our organization specifically advocates for substantive changes in higher education to promote inclusion, visibility, and achievement of Native scholars. For the first time in U.S. history, we are beginning to witness a critical narrative shift for our communities.

Madame Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), American Indian Graduate Center Alumna, has inspired both Native and non-Native people across the United States and beyond. The production of series like Reservation Dogs and Rutherford Falls are bringing authentic representation of our people to national television. The Washington Football Team and the Cleveland Guardians have changed their names.

Each of these narrative shifts are paving the way for Native voices and creating seats at the table for our people to share our knowledge, stories, and tradition. Our stories have the power to fuel a movement and create an immense impact. American Indian Graduate Center is proud to contribute to this movement as the largest national Native scholarship provider in the U.S.

For more than 50 years, American Indian Graduate Center has empowered the next generation of Native leaders through national scholarship funding and student services. When we support our students in their pursuit of higher education, not only are we empowering them to achieve their educational goals, we are empowering them to contribute to our collective story as cabinet level political leaders, film makers, educators and so much more. Thank you for joining us as we continue elevating our stories for future generations.

Lemlmtš (Thank You),

Angelique Albert CEO

ABOUT THE WRITERS

Brandon Barela - Navajo Nation, is American Indian Graduate Center’s Major

Gift Officer. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of New Mexico. As a member of the Strategic Partnership Team, he is responsible for developing and implementing strategies for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of top donors, which will provide support for the organization and help fulfill our mission of empowering Native scholars.

Niya DeGroat - Diné, American Indian Graduate Center Alumnus, is a fashion journalist and multidisciplinary creative committed to elevating the discussion around the emerging field of Indigenous fashion and storytelling in the Americas and beyond. He obtained his master’s degree in fashion journalism from the Academy of Art University in May 2020. He is also the former Director of Multimedia for Phoenix Fashion Week with years of fashion show production experience including mentoring up-andcoming designers and models. He is a citizen of the Diné Nation originally from Mariano Lake, New Mexico.

Toya Stewart Downey - Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, American Indian Graduate

Center Alumna, is an award-winning journalist who has worked at major newspapers across the country including, The Dallas Morning News. In 2006 she was the recipient of a scholarship from American Indian Graduate Center. She attended the University of Minnesota and earned a Master of Arts Degree in Health Journalism, with a minor in Public Health. After graduating, Toya transitioned from a career in journalism to work in communications, public relations, and media relations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. She is currently the Executive Director of Strategic Communications, Equity, and Inclusion at Robbinsdale Area Schools in Minneapolis.

Lindsay Mahaney Erazo is a Marketing & Communications Specialist at American Indian Graduate Center, who is responsible for strengthening the organization’s national narrative through external communications. Lindsay holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications focusing in Public Relations from the University of Toledo. Previously, she worked for a non-profit in Peru that promoted equitable access to medicine, education, and development in communities across Latin America and Africa.

Alexis Estes - Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, American Indian Graduate Center Scholar, is pursuing her master’s degree in counseling and art theory from Wayne State University. Alexis seeks to share the practices of art, art therapy, and yoga to help other Native American women and adolescents heal through the arts. Her art experience is primarily as a mural artist and screenprinter. Her Lakota culture has influenced her art to contain colorful abstractions of beadwork symbols - a style that was developed during her undergraduate studies at the Institute of American Indian Arts.

Sara Shawanokasic - Menominee Nation, AIGCS Alumna, is passionate about equal access to higher education and has spent much of her career empowering Native students to achieve their educational and career goals. Sara is the Director of Partnerships at American Indian Graduate Center. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Saint Norbert College and a Master of Science in Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of Wisconsin.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR STRATEGIC PARTNERS FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT:

Accenture American Indian Science Engineering Society American Indigenous Business Leaders American Indian College Fund AMERIND Risk APIA Scholars Big Fire Law Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation Blue Stone Strategy Group Bureau Of Indian Education Colorado University Upward Bound CNIGA Edelman FoodCorps Hewlett-Packard Hispanic Scholarship Fund Indigenous Education, Inc. Johnson Scholarship Foundation Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Murdock Charitable Trust NDN Collective Nike N7 Northwestern University Poarch Band Creek Indians REDW LLC Rincon Band Luiseño Indians Salish Kootenai College Sandia National Laboratories San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community UNCF United National Indian Tribal Youth Inc. Urban Native Era Wells Fargo