LET TER FROM COLLEGE FUND PRESIDENT
Cher yl Crazy Bull
Greetings students, potential students, and supporters of education, When I was in high school (many years ago but not so long ago that I don’t remember), I had no idea what college would be like. I was in a public school on my home reservation and many of us were expected to go to college, but we didn’t have many opportunities to learn what that meant. Many of my fellow classmates were not expected to go to college, and no one told them it was a possibility. I am positive that situation also still exists. I’ve observed a whole range of situations that help me understand what it’s like to be a Native student in high school, a student who doesn’t know that anything after high school is even possible, or who knows that there are opportunities but doesn’t know how to access them. I have children and grandchildren and I have learned to make no assumptions about what they know about post-secondary education pathways.
As your relatives and as educators, we want all of our Native youth to graduate from high school and have access to college, technical or vocational school, and other paths to good careers. So being a part of the American Indian College Fund and supporting Native Pathways has been an incredible opportunity for me to help change your experiences as a Native person. As your relatives and as educators, we want all of our Native youth to graduate from high school and have access to college, technical or vocational school, and other paths to good careers. We want our Native youth to have rewarding employment that provides the resources for better lives. We know that being able to provide for yourself and your family also means you will have a stronger tribal identity and a more prosperous tribal community.
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