A Former Scholar’s Impact in Shaping Community
Former College Fund scholar, David James (Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes), has dedicated his life to making people feel seen and cared for.
In a world with billions of people, it’s not uncommon to feel completely alone and isolated. While our ability to see what’s happening on a global scale can remind us we’re connected to something bigger, it can also make us feel small. It’s easy to forget that small moments of connection are the ties that bind community. Former College Fund scholar, David James (Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes), has dedicated his life to making people feel seen and cared for.
Before finding his way to his tribe’s college, Fort Peck Community College (FPCC), David was in Washington state—working at the Northwest Indian Treatment Center—the same center where he was once a patient recovering from alcohol addiction. It was there that he first found the power of community support, learning that when you’re surrounded by those who see a better future for you, you begin to see it for yourself.
“Working there made me feel like I had a purpose,” David shares. “I’ve been rolling with that love of helping people ever since.”
At the treatment center, David met people from tribal nations across the country. Those interactions made him realize he struggled to connect culturally because he didn’t yet know his own tribe and culture. In 2012, he took the first step toward strengthening that connection by enrolling in FPCC. While there, David was deeply involved in campus life – serving as a dorm RA, President of Student Senate, Treasurer of the Bluestone Indian Club, and a TRIO program participant. He was later named one of the American Indian College Fund’s Students of the Year. Through these roles, he built lasting relationships with students, faculty, and his culture.
“It’s a warrior’s duty to guide the younger generation forward onto a better path,” he shares. As a non-traditional student, David naturally stepped into advocacy roles for his peers. When the National Science Foundation held a meeting in Washington, D.C., David attended as a business major and successfully argued that business is a science, convincing the board to include business majors in eligibility for grants and internships.
At his graduation, David organized a fundraiser and, during his salutatorian speech, surprised five fellow graduates with $250 scholarships to support them in the next phase of their journeys.
After earning his Associate of Arts in Business Administration from Fort Peck Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Montana State University-Northern, David returned to the community that welcomed him back in 2012, this time as an educator and advocate.
Back at Fort Peck Community College, David has worn many hats, but no matter his role, he has always been an anchor for the school, students, and community, serving as a voice for those who often feel overlooked. With an open-door policy, David makes sure that every student that walks through those doors feels known. He knows their names, their goals, and walks alongside them on their educational journey as their biggest supporter.
Having once been a student himself, David understands that “encouragement goes a long way. You’re setting those roots of mentorship down.”
David’s candid voice echoes a simple truth: when individuals are supported by community, they can succeed—and when they succeed, we all do. That is the power of true connection.
