Vicki Besaw, a member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Lake Superior Ojibwe Tribe, pursued her doctorate at age 54 to help students heal from trauma through storytelling. Working at the College of Menominee Nation, she used Indigenous story methodology to create a safe space for students to explore their life stories and understand the impact of trauma. Her research not only supported her students but also sparked intergenerational healing within her own family. Vicki aims to integrate her findings into the curriculum and publish her stories to reach a broader audience.
Inside the College Fund Blogs
Graduation: A Time to Celebrate Your Achievements and Culture
In 2019, the American Indian College Fund teamed with the Native American Rights Fund to gather content Native American students need to work with school administrations in advance of graduation to ensure they can celebrate their graduations in a traditional way. We have updated this blog for 2024 but many of the principles are still the same.
Honoring Native Voices, Cultures, Histories, and Ancestors on International Museum Day
Did you know there are federal laws regarding what museums can keep in their collections when it comes to Native peoples? The American Indian College Fund believes elevating the visibility of contemporary Native artists and their voices is integral to telling our stories. It is just as important for Native people to be represented respectfully and accurately through the arts in museums and other institutions.
American Indian College Fund Awards Three-Year American Indian Law School Scholarship to Jade Araujo to Attend Harvard Law School
Jade Araujo, an enrolled member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) in Massachusetts and a descendant of the Tlingit and Koyukon Athabascan tribes in Alaska, is the third person to have been awarded the American Indian College Fund Law School Scholarship. Araujo is a senior at Stanford University who will graduate in June with a degree in political science and will enter Harvard Law School in the fall. She is the daughter of Todd Araujo (Aquinnah Wampanoag) and Jaeleen Kookesh (Tlingit and Koyukon Athabascan).
Celebrate Native Teachers!
The American Indian College Fund provides the next generation of Native teachers with the support they need—financial and otherwise—to succeed in their important education careers, while also supporting tribal colleges and universities with teacher education programs to provide them with a quality education. Together we are working to ensure Native voices and perspectives are seen and heard in the classroom—and Native students have the support to succeed.
Earth Day is Every Day
Today, April 22, is the 54th Earth Day since its first celebration, which birthed the modern environmental movement in 1970. It is a day to raise awareness of the damage done to the planet and the need for more sustainable practices in every aspect of life and industry. For Indigenous peoples, the responsibility to care for the earth and the environments that shaped our cultures is one we have carried for millennia. That commitment to the places that are a part of us persists today in the studies and careers many Native people pursue.
Additional Scholarship Updates for 2024
Our Scholarships Update is a monthly round up of scholarship opportunities that may be of interest to Native students. The newsletter includes resources from partner organizations along with information on the College Fund’s scholarship programming. The Scholarships...
The American Indian College Fund presented at the 2024 National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students Conference
The American Indian College Fund (College Fund) presented at the 2024 National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students Conference. Nicolette Weston, College Fund Program Administrator for Transfer and Admissions, partnered with Juan Perez and Joey DiTonno of the Tribal College Transfer Advisory Committee to lead a session titled “Building Equity and Transfer Success with Underrepresented Populations.”