Circle of Hope

Together, we have been working toward this moment for a while, and now that it is here, I feel an interesting mix of exhilaration, excitement, focus – and also a healthy dose of fear! And as we plan and start this work, I have never been more grateful for you and your commitment and support.

This journey is not possible without you, and so I want to share with you why it is so important. For several years now, we’ve seen steady increases in the numbers of Native people pursuing a college degree and graduating. In 2010, only 14% of Native people held college degrees, which is the equivalent of 560,000 college graduates. In 2020, 18% of Native people held college degrees, which is the equivalent of 1,130,000 college graduates.

While on its face this appears to be an incredible increase, because the Native population also grew substantially during this timeframe, the percentage of Native people with college degrees is still only half the national average (18% vs. 36%).

This is particularly distressing when, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, 83% of Native people want to attend college – right on par with the percentage of non-Native people who want to attend college.

Not surprisingly, the breakdown occurs when we look at the numbers of students who persist and complete their degree programs. Non-Native students persist at 62% and graduate at 38%. Native students persist at 22% and graduate at 17%. We attribute this significant difference to the systemic starvation of educational opportunity for Native students – meaning there are inadequate systems, both financial and non-financial, to support Native students pursuing college degrees.

This is where it gets interesting and why the College Fund is committed to significant growth and expansion in the next three to five years. When students receive scholarships along with the College Fund’s additional supports, graduation rates increase from 41% to 66% – the College Fund’s student success programs increase graduation rates by more than 62%! That is why it is critical for us to increase the number of students we support at this pivotal moment in time, particularly because we also know that over the last six years, 74% of our scholars pursue careers and find jobs working in their community in key roles such as healthcare, education, and social work.

And that is not the only positive outcome attributable to the College Fund’s inspired approach to student support through education completion. According to our students, education is the single most effective path to shifting family narratives and systems from generational trauma to healthy, stable environments for parents and children alike, thus ending cycles of addiction, abuse, homelessness, and poverty.

In this newsletter, you will meet our newest Student Ambassadors who will serve for the 2026-27 school year. Over the next year, you will hear their individual stories – stories of how education changed everything for them and their families. Their stories and thousands of others just like them, are the reason I will forever believe in the value of education for Native peoples – it is transformative, life changing, and lifesaving.

It is my greatest hope that you see yourself in each student’s story, as without you, their stories would be dramatically different. We can never adequately describe to you the role you play and the space you have in each of our students’ successes. I am continuously touched, grateful, humbled, and motivated by your presence as you continue walking with me on this journey. I see you clearly in the story and in what we have achieved together – and what we will continue to do, until our work is done.

In strength and gratitude,