9 minute read
Student Programs Create Employment Paths and Leadership Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Carrie: Internship Provides Career Learning Experience
Carrie (Cherokee Nation), a Full Circle Scholar and Institute of American Indian Arts graduate, was enrolled in San Diego State University’s film and media program when the pandemic struck. Although Carrie quickly adapted to online coursework during her first year of graduate school, internship opportunities were scarce. When she heard the College Fund was seeking a student intern to work remotely, she immediately applied and joined the public education team. Carrie, who is an award-winning cinematographer, put her design and filmmaking skills to work creating media kits and website designs. She also created a promotional video about the College Fund’s internship program. Carrie enjoys creative, collaborative work. She found her online internship offered an opportunity for inventiveness virtually, while giving her the platform to help the College Fund connect to wider audiences. She said the experience was the perfect chance to work from the comfort of her home while helping other Native students. Remote internship opportunities are a win/win for students and the College Fund, giving greater numbers of students who cannot relocate valuable work and career learning experiences, while allowing the College Fund to employ talented TCU students.
Check out Carrie’s student nationwide internship video on the College Fund’s YouTube channel at collegefund.org/Carrie.
When the American Indian College Fund launched its Student Ambassador program in 2015 to train students and alumni to represent the College Fund, it had no idea it was creating a leadership training program. But the skills students learn through their ambassador training and experience have made the program exactly that. Each year, applicants submit essays and videos to introduce themselves and their goals. After an interview process, the College Fund selects participants to join a cohort of student ambassadors for the upcoming academic year. Student ambassadors are trained as skilled College Fund representatives who serve as the face of the organization. They work with students, supporters, and the public by organizing campus and virtual events, by speaking at fundraising events, and by raising awareness about the College Fund on social media and in media interviews. Ambassadors are trained to participate in press interviews, write articles on behalf of the College Fund, and advocate for their communities. Last year, ambassadors advocated for participation in the U.S. Census to ensure education funding for their communities and voter registration. The skills ambassadors learn prepare them for their careers, giving them confidence and expanding their personal access to greater professional and academic connections. They accomplish this while creating opportunity for their communities and awareness of the College Fund.
Student ambassadors participated in community outreach to encourage participation in the U.S. Census. Native communities have a greater reliance on federal funding because of treaty relationships with the U.S. government, making an accurate Census count important for education funding.
Jasmine–2018 Cohort
The saying “if you want something done, ask a busy person” applies to Jasmine. A public administration major at the College of Menominee Nation, Jasmine (Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin) has amassed a lengthy list of honors and activities during her college years. Despite a heavy class schedule and her research work, Jasmine was undaunted by having to adapt quickly to online learning during the pandemic. She also demonstrated her commitment to her TCU community by organizing donations and deliveries of food, medicines, and other necessities.
Jasmine also dedicated herself to writing projects, research, and applying for a fellowship with the Forge Project, an initiative created to support established and emerging Indigenous leaders in the land justice, education, and cultural fields with funding and a residency. Jasmine was one of four Native “movers and shakers” awarded a fellowship, and she will conduct environmental sustainability research and produce a podcast for her project.
Jasmine represented the College Fund in print and video interviews with The Nation, USA Today, and The Christian Science Monitor. During the fellowship, Jasmine will enjoy the opportunity to live in rotation with other fellows at the Forge Project property in the Hudson Valley of New York, which includes a living space, a studio, and an art gallery, where she will complete her work. Jasmine was also selected to participate in The Rising Voices Center for Indigenous and Earth Sciences workshop, sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The program brings Indigenous and other scientific professionals, tribal and community leaders, environmental and communication experts, students, educators, and artists together from across the world. They will learn about extreme weather and climate events, climate variability, and climate change.
Jacob wants to be a good role model for his son.
Jacob–2020 Cohort
Jacob (White Earth Ojibwe Tribe) says finding his path to college wasn't easy. A first-generation student, he faced challenges from the beginning, from deciding whether school would be a good choice for him when he still had to provide for his young family, to navigating the application process. After entering college, Jacob decided to take a break. With a young son, he says, “We want and need to provide for them right now and so [we] think college isn't an option.” Jacob isn’t alone. More than 50 percent of tribal college scholars work fulltime or part-time to support their families while attending college. Of those, nearly 50 percent are the primary source of income for their families. Jacob was determined to finish his education and serve as a role model for his young son. He transferred to Bemidji State University after completing his associate degree in business at White Earth Tribal and Community College (WETCC) on his home reservation. During the pandemic, Jacob continued his studies online while working at a new job as an information technology coordinator at his alma mater, WETCC. He had started the position one day before Minnesota was locked down and went from thinking he would be fulfilling routine IT requests to keeping the tribal college functioning in an online learning environment. That was no easy feat. The digital divide still exists on Indian reservations, where, according to the Federal Communications Commission and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, 68 percent of people don’t have access to broadband.
Despite these obstacles Jacob found ways for faculty and staff to transition to online teaching, and helped students prepare and optimize their home computer equipment for remote studies. Knowing there was a huge risk that students might drop out of classes without access to proper equipment and broadband, Jacob traversed more than 200 miles, buying as many hotspots as he could to keep WETCC students online for their studies. “Between my new job and my classes, I was going nonstop! It felt good, though, knowing I was helping other students, especially when I think of what it would mean if any of them had had to drop out. I know that things like those hotspots were the make-or-break for some of my classmates. It might seem small to some people, but it was huge for us.” He added, “We are a tight-knit community, and things like that impact all of us.” In addition to classes, work, and spending time with his family, Jacob served as a 2020-21 student ambassador; participated in online advocacy training to promote the U.S. Census and voter registration in his community; and was interviewed in a national podcast, “Rethinking History Through an Indigenous Lens,” to mark Native American Heritage Month in November of last year. Jacob was also one of four scholars selected for a leadership project through the 2020-21 Ford College Community Challenge (C3). The program, managed in partnership with the College Fund, promotes and funds student-led sustainable community development projects nationwide. Jacob’s project documented the fall and winter cultural traditions of his tribal nation to ensure they continue for future generations.
Nearly 50%
Jacob discussed how overlooking Native history contributes to inequity in higher education on Inclusivity Included, a national podcast.
Jerald Red Buffalo–2021 Cohort
Jerald (Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate) was brought up in his culture and community by his grandparents, where he connected with his family and people through singing and dancing. When his grandparents passed on, he says he followed his parents' path into substance abuse. After receiving treatment, Jerald re-entered Sisseton Wahpeton College, changed his major to behavioral science, and looked for ways to serve his people struggling with similar issues. Jerald and his wife founded Piya Canku (Healing Road), a program to help those in recovery after treatment. “We wanted to focus on people fresh out of treatment because there is little help for those being discharged. There’s not a support system for people that want to continue with their sobriety,” Jerald said. To strengthen this support, they applied for a $5,000 grant from the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Health Board & Epidemiology Center to identify the leading causes of relapse on the Lake Traverse Reservation.
This led to an opportunity with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium’s Aseto'ne Institute research program. The program is a multiinstitutional initiative designed to coordinate outreach, education, and mentoring services within the nation’s tribal colleges and universities. Jerald completed 50 hours of research curriculum with prestigious Native doctors and researchers.
“I created a lot of good relationships and got to meet a lot of people that specialize in research. It’s really different researching in Native communities,” he said, noting that it is difficult to allow outside people in “because of how it [Western research] was conducted in the past.” Jerald was able to make far more progress working in his own community. “I had a lot more response. And of course, we retain our own data if we conduct it [research] ourselves. We can own it and we can do what we see fit with it.”
Having completed his associate degree in behavioral science from Sisseton Wahpeton College, Jerald is now seeking a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Minnesota at Morris, with the goal of completing a master’s degree in clinical psychology. He wants to continue to serve his people, do more research, and bring Indigenous methodologies to the next generation of Native mental health professionals. “After changing my life and regaining my confidence, I feel I am ready to apply my knowledge of our traditional spirituality along with this education to help others overcome what has been plaguing our people for decades.”
