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Where Our Students Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
College Fund Programs and Student Ambassadors Are Vital to High School Students’ Journey to College
The support of teachers, counselors, role models, and mentors helps students succeed on their path to college. Yet too often for Native students, that network of support is lacking. Chandra (Hoopa Valley Tribal member/Hopi and Yurok), a College Fund scholar, student ambassador, and graduate of Northwest Indian College says, “We hear a lot of the time, ‘Go to school, get your education, come back to the reservation and make a difference.’” For Chandra, the message was clear, but the information and support about how to find scholarships, apply for housing, and manage finances was missing when she was in high school. “Having the support for learning about some of those scenarios, especially scholarships, would have helped me be more successful when I was younger,” she says. Because so many Native students are living in remote, rural areas—and many are not in the communities served by the High School College Choice program—the College Fund also reimagined its Native Pathways Summer of Success Conference. Launched as an in-person, two-day event reaching 30 high school students in 2019, the conference was converted to a virtual conference during the pandemic, reaching 150 students. Seeing the potential to reach more students with a virtual event, the 2021 and 2022 conferences continued online. Student sessions are culturally appropriate and include wellness and cultural identity, scholarship opportunities, how to write a college essay, financial literacy and completing the FAFSFA application, test-taking strategies, careers and majors, TCU information sessions, transitioning from high school to college, and more. Enrollment for the conference was nearly 500 in 2022, nearly 17 times the number of students reached. The College Fund’s Student Ambassador Program is also vital to student outreach. Student ambassadors serve as role models for Native students through peer mentoring workshops and sessions at local high schools. Seeing other Natives who have successfully navigated to college, graduated, and entered careers gives up-and-coming Native students confidence—and the guidance—they need to achieve their own goals.
That is where the American Indian College Fund comes into play. In addition to scholarships, the College Fund offers programs to provide that information and support—and works with student ambassadors like Chandra to promote them. As it set out to offer students direct support through coaching, the College Fund’s High School College Choice program worked with Higher Pathways partners, which are reservation-based, Bureau of Indian Education, and near-reservation high schools. Students who participated in the program attended College Fund virtual events; worked on submitting FAFSA, scholarship and college applications; and worked with College Fund College Readiness coaches. Students also received text reminders and messages of encouragement as they continued their education journey. The program reached approximately 400 students from 55 partner schools. This was a great start, but the College Fund wanted to help even more students across Indian Country. To do so, it shifted the program focus to support partner schools rather than individual students. The strategy worked. In 2021 the program supported approximately 4,000 students—a tenfold increase in the number of students like Chandra who are now on their way to achieving their dreams. College Fund Student Ambassadors like Chandra work with students in their communities, providing information on how to apply for College Fund scholarships and support programs. She says she is particularly keen to help students who are in danger of “falling through the cracks.” Chandra says, “You never know who you are inspiring just by doing what you need to do. And especially when you can come back to your reservation and teach people… ‘Hey, this is what worked for me. And this is what I did, and these are the scholarships I got. This is what you should apply for.’ I think that is huge.”
Nylana Reaches for the Stars
With her eyes on the sky as she reaches for an aerospace career, Nylana (Navajo Nation) has worked as a NASA student intern in various capacities since 2019 . Working at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston for three months in 2019, Nylana served in the JSC’s Crew and Thermal Systems Division to audit hardware and components that support aerospace life support systems, including the Portable Life Support System. This system helps create a livable atmosphere inside spacesuits, and allows astronauts to make lunar and space excursions. During that first internship, Nylana celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar mission. A highlight was meeting astronaut Suni Williams, the ninth woman to walk in space. She also met Aaron Yazzie, a mechanical engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Seth Begay, a NASA computer engineer, both from the Navajo Nation. She credits Yazzie and Begay with motivating her further, while her internships helped her build a foundation for success in the aerospace industry. In 2021 Nylana headed to the space agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Hunstville, Alabama for 15 months, where she worked as an intern in its additive manufacturing research lab. She was invited back to MSFC for a fall 2022 internship, where she is working closely with larger scaled Direct Energy Deposition (DED) metal printing. She says her objective is to learn more of NASA’s additive manufacturing techniques to apply back at Navajo Technical University on her home reservation, where she is studying mechanical engineering with a concentration in additive manufacturing. Her long-term goal is a career in high-concentration aerospace additive manufacturing, which allows for stronger and more efficient components, faster lead times, and lighter weight parts critical for aerospace . “Your generosity inspired me to help others and give back to the community.
While hands-on technical experience working on a NASA team are invaluable to her career aspirations, Nylana is also grounded in her education, community, and culture. She has held student leadership positions at NTU and serves as an American Indian College Fund student ambassador.
Nylana’s passion for aerospace and her love for technology, engineering, and the Native community have not gone unnoticed by the media. She has been interviewed about her dream to serve on a team at NASA or Space X and her desire to show Native students that there is a world of opportunity waiting for them. Using her platform as a College Fund Student Ambassador and scholar to share her experiences with other Native students, Nylana demonstrates how scholarships, a college education, and internships connect to serve as the rocket fuel that makes dreams a reality. Nylana is particularly keen to encourage students to pursue studies in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, where Native people are often underrepresented . She credits the American Indian College Fund TCU and Full Circle Scholarships for lightening her financial burden, allowing her to focus her energy on learning. “Your generosity inspired me to help others and give back to the community. I hope one day I will be able to help students achieve their goals just as you have helped me,” Nylana says.
College Fund Launches Campaign to Increase Visibility of Indigenous People
Native American people, cultures, and perspectives are still not seen or heard by most Americans. To increase awareness of, and conversations with, Indigenous people about issues impacting
Native communities, the American Indian College Fund launched its “This
Is Indian Country” Campaign. The campaign, which includes several PSAs, is a collaboration with long-time advertising partner Wieden+Kennedy.
Indigenous histories have been largely ignored, rewritten, or deleted entirely from history for 400 years. “This Is Indian Country” works to educate and engage people in the acknowledgement and recognition of
Indigenous people nationwide, sharing our nation’s truthful history.
Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College
Fund, said, “For the narrative of American history to be inclusive and for Indigenous people to have equity in all areas of American life, our neighbors must know that we are here and acknowledge that there is work to be done to build a better and more equal society. The ‘This Is Indian
Country’ campaign is intended to be an entry point for all people to build greater understanding across the United States. Through this entry point, all people can learn about the rich, diverse cultures of the original people of what is now the United States, and all people can take action to create a more just society. We can be united in our quest for abundance in our lives for ourselves and for future generations. We believe in education, both for the knowledge that education provides and for the opportunity it presents. We invite all learners to join us in this quest.” The campaign soft-launched in October 2021 with a full-page public service announcement in The New York Times print edition on Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The full campaign, including television ads, a series of films, social media, print, and out-of-home public service announcements and a website debuted for Native American Heritage Month in November. The campaign also includes several videos that reclaim the term “Indian Country,” an official legal term noted in numerous Supreme Court opinions and referenced of federal law, including treaties, policies, and laws that ordered Indigenous assimilation and erasure. Yet, more than a legal phrase, Indian Country is the phrase Native people use on reservations and in the stories Native people tell. This term may have been used against Native people, but it has been reclaimed and the PSA campaign seeks to continue that reclamation to continue to build community and empower Indigenous people. Over the decades working with the College Fund, Wieden+Kennedy has leveraged its relationships with its media partners and legendary artists to produce sophisticated, cutting-edge advertising on a pro-bono budget, and “This Is Indian Country” was no different. Joe Pytka, who has played a pivotal role in the College Fund’s advertising campaigns for several decades, was tapped to serve as the television and film director for “This is Indian Country.” In addition, the campaign’s film “Democracy, Indian Country” was co-directed by Indigenous filmmaker Robin Máxkii (Mohican), a Wieden+Kennedy copywriter who is a former College Fund scholar, tribal college graduate, and College Fund student ambassador. Individuals and organizations can support the movement for Indigenous recognition, representation, and equity by using resources and materials available at ThisIsIndianCountry.com. The site includes student stories, suggested ways to support the College Fund through donations and events, resources for creating land acknowledgements, and downloadable materials. In 2022, the campaign has continued to build upon the success of the launch to feature a specific call to action to recognize, include, acknowledge, and celebrate Indigenous People every day of the year with the digital campaign #IndigenousEveryDay. Media outlets and organizations interested in running the print and video public service announcements can contact the American Indian College Fund at 303-426-8900 or NHouk@collegefund.org.
David Kennedy Devoted Decades to College Fund
David Kennedy loved to tell the story of how the American Indian College Fund became a Wieden+Kennedy client. Each time he told it, his eyes lit up as if he were experiencing it for the first time.
As Kennedy recalled, “It all began on December 19, 1990. I received a letter from Barbara Bratone, the executive director of the American Indian
College Fund at the time, who was wondering if Wieden+Kennedy would be interested in taking on the College Fund as a pro bono client. I ran screaming down the hall to [Dan] Wieden’s office, waving the paper, and saying, ‘Look at this!’ We met with the College Fund that spring and we’ve been doing their advertising ever since.”
Kennedy was an art director when he co-founded Wieden+Kennedy in 1982 with his copywriting partner Dan Wieden. They quit their thencurrent advertising jobs at William Cain, took a small shoe company named Nike with them as a client, and the rest is history. Together they created some of the most iconic and culturally relevant work in advertising, including Nike’s tagline “Just Do It.”
Fast-forward to today, 40 years later, and Wieden+Kennedy has expanded to eight global offices and remains a creatively led, independent advertising agency where “people come to do the best work of their lives.”
Kennedy retired in 1993, three years after the partnership with the College
Fund began. But that did not stop him from coming into the office almost every day and dedicating himself to the College Fund’s work as a creative director. He was a thoughtful, compassionate, and humble leader. An incredible illustrator, letterer, and craftsman, Kennedy would spend his time in the agency’s design studio with his ruler and X-ACTO® blade, piecing together a layout or sketching an idea. He always wore the same ensemble: Levi’s® jeans, a black T-shirt, and suede cowboy boots. He was a worker. As the late Dan Wieden recalled, “When David comes to work and picks up the challenges of working on the American Indian College Fund, he’s going to church. This is a very, very deep, emotional [and] spiritual relationship David has with this organization that springs from his love of his early relationships in Oklahoma. He feels a deep kinship with Native peoples.” During a partnership with the College Fund that has lasted over 30 years, Kennedy never really retired. He created more than a dozen advertising campaigns for the College Fund, the first in 1991. It was a single-page print ad with a bold headline: “A Sane, Rational Argument for Giving the Entire Country Back to the Indians.” Later that year the College Fund released the first Wieden+Kennedycreated television campaign, “Save a Culture That Could Save Ours.” Kennedy enlisted his long-time friend, director Joe Pytka, with whom he had worked with on several iconic Nike spots. Over the years Pytka continued to be a valuable partner, directing multiple television campaigns for the College Fund. David believed that Wieden+Kennedy has relationships with some of the best talent in the industry (directors, photographers, illustrators, designers, writers, musicians), and there would be a “hot place in hell for us if we didn’t take advantage” of them to give back to Indigenous people. Other Wieden+Kennedy campaigns created for the College Fund included “Why Did You Go to College” (1998), “Educating the Mind and Spirit” (1999), “Have You Ever Seen a Real Indian?” (2002), “If I Stay on the Rez” (2005), “Think Indian” (2009), “Help a Student Help a Tribe” (2012), “One Percent” (2017), and “Path” (2019). “This Is Indian Country,” the latest work Wieden+Kennedy and the College Fund worked on together, was launched on Indigenous Peoples Day in 2021, the day after Kennedy passed away. Kennedy was so excited about the campaign and said it was a culmination of decades of work that led up to this moment. He loved the powerful, unapologetic, and provocative statement. He loved the bold type that is hard to deny. And he was excited to finally get to the heart of the matter. Last year’s launch of “This Is Indian Country” was just the beginning of a multiyear endeavor to acknowledge a historically erased group of Americans. The campaign is designed to increase awareness of and conversations about Indigenous people and issues at a time when Native people are still not seen or heard by most Americans. Its goal is to remind people that Indigenous culture is American culture. Kennedy left behind an unrivaled legacy that shaped advertising and changed and inspired so many lives, but it was his College Fund work that he said made him the proudest. “I think that my career in advertising means nothing if I can’t do something good with it,” Kennedy said.
2021-22 Governing Board of Trustees
Chair:
Leander “Russ” McDonald President, United Tribes Technical College
First Vice Chair:
Cynthia Lindquist President, Cankdeska Cikana Community College
Second Vice Chair:
Sandra Boham President, Salish Kootenai College
Member-At-Large:
Michael Purvis Managing Director, The Blackstone Group
Resource Development Chair:
Brenda Toineeta Pipestem Of Counsel, Pipestem & Nagle Law
Twyla Baker President, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College Tom Brooks Vice President-External Affairs, AT&T External Affairs
Haven Gourneau President, Fort Peck Community College Justin Guillory President, Northwest Indian College Dawson Her Many Horses Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo Middle Market Banking
Board of Trustees:
Dan King President, Red Lake Nation College Stefanie Miller President, Kellogg’s Away From Home Michael Oltrogge President, Nebraska Indian Community College Lynn Dee Rapp President, Eagle Opportunity Charles “Monty” Roessel President, Diné College Carla Sineway President, Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College Angela “Denine” Torr Executive Director, Dollar General Literacy Foundation, Dollar General Corporation Meredi Vaughan CEO, Vladimir Jones Dennis Worden Director, Walmart, Inc. David E. Yarlott, Jr. President, Little Big Horn College T he following generous supporters have left lasting legacies through their estate plans. Their generosity ensures that American Indian and Alaska Native students will have the opportunity to pursue their dreams of a higher education and a career. We honor their memories here.
Anonymous Helen T.M. Bayer Betty Irene Boardman Lillian C. Brilhart
Larry Claude Burgoon Kristin R. Carlson
Margaret Carson Joan W. Cho
JoAnn Corey Marilyn Creason Susan J. Darsh
Robert Donner
Robert E . Evans
William Fessler
Morris Finley Maureen R. Frechette
Ruth Galaid
Martin Gardner Dennis H. Gray Jane Elizabeth Griffin
David J. Hamilton
Phyllis Hanicke Robert K. Haning Virginia E. Jarvis Robert H. Kaeppel Robert B. Keiser
Barbara M. Kent
Jacqueline Kienzle Barbara S. Kinsey Katherine A. Levin
Salvatore Patrick Lucchese
Willard Matteson
Jacqueline S. Mithun Robert L. and Jeannette Munkres Trust
Vincent G. Murphy Edison J. Nunez Jr. Kathryn O’Keeffe Irene Rita Pierce
Bernie M. Porter
Mildred Potucek
Patricia A. Rambo
Carla Remondini
Janice Marie Richardson
Stoyell M. Robbins H. Geraldine Rogers Joel Rothberg Roberta S. Salyer Hannelore M. Schulz
Sharon R. Scott
Douglas S. Stewart Margaret A. Walters Sallie Wesaw
Eddie C. Zawacki
The following generous individuals, corporations, and foundations have helped support Native higher education through their gifts to the American Indian College Fund.
$100,000+
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation H Bank of America Charitable
Gift Fund Anonymous H Arizona Public Service AT&T Foundation H Bank of America Charitable
Foundation, Inc Bezos Family Foundation H Chan Zuckerberg Initiative The Chicago Community
Foundation Cleveland Guardians Baseball
Company, Inc. Coca-Cola Foundation Comic Relief Inc. Costco Wholesale Dollar General Literacy Foundation The Earl and Anna Broady
Foundation Facebook FedEx Corporation Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Heising-Simons Foundation The Henry Luce Foundation, Inc. H John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation Katharine Scallan Scholarship Trust Amy Kaufman L.L. Foundation for Youth Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies H National Philanthropic Trust Native American Agriculture Fund Nike, Inc. OJ and Mary Christine Harvey
Educational Foundation H PayPal Giving Fund Rowena Pecchenino Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians H The Peierls Foundation, Inc. Pendleton Woolen Mills Katharine A. Powell Raymond James Charitable
Endowment Fund Reboot Representation James and Kate Rogers Schwab Charitable Fund Dr. Michelle P. Scott Solon E. Summerfield
Foundation, Inc. The Spencer Foundation H Jennifer Stengaard Gross and Peter
Stengaard Strada Education Network H Synchrony Target Corporation Tides Foundation Tribal Alliance Partners United Health Foundation H Vanguard Charitable Endowment
Program W. K. Kellogg Foundation H Walmart Foundation The Walt Disney Company The Weissman Family
Foundation, Inc. Wieden+Kennedy The Wilke Family Foundation H
$50,000 – $99,999
1st Tribal Lending Adam and Rachel Albright Alvin I. & Peggy S. Brown Family
Charitable Foundation Anonymous (2) H Anonymous Foundation
Administered By
Edward G. McAnaney Mrs. June E. Beaver Kimberly S. Blanchard The Boeing Company Joseph and Teresa Canfora Judith B. Carmichael Charter Communications, Inc. Clayton and Odessa Lang Ofstad
Foundation Ford Foundation H. Geraldine Rogers Trust Ms. Audrey Heneage Indian Motorcycle JCDRP Family Foundation JPMorgan Chase Foundation Kenneth L. Conca Mr. George Stabler Loening Kathleen Mary McMahon The Kathryn B. McQuade
Foundation H Mickey and Nancy Michel Morgan Stanley Gift Fund The National Native American
Boarding School Healing
Coalition Paul M. Angell Family Foundation Ralph Lauren Corporation Renaissance Charitable
Foundation, Inc Robert L and Jeannette
Munkres Trust The Roni Horn Foundation Silicon Valley Community
Foundation Walter and Ursula Eberspacher
Foundation
$25,000 – $49,999
ABLC Oper CFC Adolph Coors Foundation Dr. Richard J. Almond American Endowment Foundation Amherst College Anonymous H Argosy Foundation The Armstrong Foundation Aspen Community Foundation Association on American
Indian Affairs Jo Anne B. Balling Richard J. Barber Rosamond J. Campbell Central Indiana Community
Foundation Mr. James Clubb Community First Foundation Community Foundation for
Northeast Florida Joan E. Corey Doris Antun Revocable Trust Entergy Corporation Ellen L. Ferguson Ms. Elizabeth A. Fray Michelle D. Fuller Give Lively Foundation Inc. Grace S. Shaw-Kennedy Foundation Grace Adolphsen Brame Trust Guidewire Software Services Joel and Helena Hiltner Harold L. Horstmann Hugh and Jane Ferguson
Foundation Inter-Tribal Council of AT&T
Employees Irene Rita Pierce Charitable Lead
Annuity Trust Joseph and Sophia Abeles
Foundation, Inc. Marjorie L. Keely L . P . Brown Foundation Macy’s Dr. Richard Lee Meehan, D.D.S. MGM Resorts International Bette Midler and Martin von
Haselberg Anonymous Northern Trust Company PayPal Giving Fund Penguin Random House Ms. Gretchen Pfuetze Monique Regard and
Frederick Duffy David and Jill Rogers Rosalie J . Coe Weir Foundation Marjory H. Russell Jack and Lindsey Sayers John and Maria Schell Mareke Schiller Anne C. Sigleo M.D. Samantha E. Skove Mary Ellen Smith and
Nancy Hannah Mr. David Terribile George J. Then TikTok Inc. Toyota Motor North America US Bank The VF Foundation Virginia W. Hill Charitable
Foundation Michael A. Wall Glenn H. Weder Philip O. Wheatley Luke Whitesell and
Catherine McLellan
$10,000 – $24,999
AMB Foundation Amergent The American Gift Fund American Family Insurance Mr. Paul Anders Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation Anonymous (8) H Mr. Michael Apgar Arch Capital Services LLC Kristin K. Armstrong Astis AT&T Employee Giving Matching
Campaign Shane and Bonnie Balkowitsch Nadine P. Bartsch Dianne M. Batzkall Janet R . Bean Michelle and Richard Bellows Ben Plucknett Charitable Trust Henry and Rhoda Bernstein Mary S. Bilder Eleonor Bindman and Eli
Gottesdiener David and Elsa Blanton Susan and James Bondarenko Roger M. Boone Suzanne Born Brad Lemons Foundation Brokaw Family Foundation The Bulova Stetson Fund Rev. Martin L. Buote Nola and Neil Burkhard Richard and Elizabeth Burns Susan O. Bush Thomas and Carol Butler Ann S. Buxbaum Katherine Cameron and
Richard Vaccaro James and Kathy Cargill Carol C. Johnson Charitable
Foundation Central New York Community
Foundation, Inc Ann Clark and Charles Kirkpatrick Lisa Cohen and Hershel Kleinberg Lowell T. Cook The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Keith Cowan and Linda Walsh Kristine B. Crandall Darby Foundation The Defense Against Thought
Control Foundation, Inc. Lindy Delf and Anthony Wolk Dennis and Phyllis Washington
Foundation Nicoletti and Bruna DePaul Julia DeVlieg Diana E . Dundore James R. Dunn Bernadine J . Duran Edward & Verna Gerbic Family
Foundation El Pomar Foundation H Sigrid Elenga and C. Stephen Smyth Enerplus Ernst & Young Foundation Matching
Gifts Program ExxonMobil Matching Gift Program Michael G. Feiss and Cathy Cole Fenwick Community Fund David Fitzpatrick Martin and Judith Freedland Sandra and R . Neil Fuller John and Carole Garand Aaron T. Garnett Gikinoo’amaage Indigenous
Educators Coalition Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund Google Matching Gifts Program Jean and James Hall James L. Hamilton Lucile Hamlin William F. Harrison Helen Roberti Charitable Trust Ms. Mary H. Hodge James and Susan Hofman Houston Jewish Community
Foundation Houston Family Foundation Barry W. Hubbard Terrill Hyde Impact Assets Intel Foundation Isa-Maria and David Shoolman
Family Foundation Philip D. Jackson Stephen and Karen Jackson James and Sarah Rollins
Family of Trusts The James M. Cox Foundation of Georgia, Inc. The Jana Foundation, Inc. Jewish Communal Fund Mike and Ann Johnson Leigh and Richard Jones-Bamman Julie Kant Ms. Katherine Welch Katherine A. Levin Irrevocable Trust David and Barbara Kelly Jill D. Kirshner Fred Korn Neil Kreitman Leibowitz and Greenway Family
Charitable Foundation Lubert Family Foundation Inc Vijay and Arlene Macwan Mary Alice Avato Trust Mr. Sahar Masud McVay Foundation Microsoft Giving Campaign Sonia and D. James Miller
A star (H) by the donor’s name indicates this donor has created a pathway to Native student success through a multi-year commitment. A flame ( ) by the donor’s name indicates this donor is a confirmed member of our Circle of Vision Society and has included the American Indian College Fund in their estate plans.
