American Indian College Fund Selects 2022-23 Indigenous Visionaries

Five Native Women’s Leadership Projects to Impact Tribal Communities

October 11, 2022, Denver, Colo.— Empowered Indigenous women lead positive change in their communities. Through the Indigenous Visionaries Program the American Indian College Fund supports the development of women leaders across Tribal communities where tribal colleges and universities are located. Participants in the Indigenous Visionaries Program are selected based on their connections within their tribal communities and how their proposed projects will make a positive impact. Selected participants receive a grant of $7,000 to support their proposed project’s completion and leadership development opportunities by working on the community project with their mentor and with monthly virtual connections provided by the College Fund team.

Each of the five tribal college student-leaders selected to participate in this year’s College Fund Indigenous Visionaries cohort have also identified the projects they will focus on throughout the program:

Nical Glasses (Navajo) is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Diné College on the Navajo Reservation. Glasses will pursue the role of an advocate to spread more awareness about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) epidemic by providing more resources, hosting educational presentations, and gathering data and research. Crystal Cree (Navajo), director of the Office of Legislative Affairs and Special Projects at Diné College, will serve as mentor.

Paula Cooper (Anishinaabe) is pursuing a degree in human services at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College in Hayward, Wisconsin. Cooper will bring the Grandmother Moon ceremony back into the community to help local women acquire the Ojibwe language through the ceremonies. Michelle Haskins (Anishinaabe), Lead Faculty of Early Childhood Education at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College, will serve as mentor.

Charli Earth (Winnebago) is pursuing a degree in liberal arts at Little Priest Tribal College on the Winnebago Reservation in Winnebago, Nebraska. Earth will implement an incentive program to encourage all dimensions of healthy living for families within the Winnebago community. Cassie Kitcheyan (Winnebago), Faculty of Native American Studies, will serve as mentor.

Shadlynn Severance ((Three Affiliated Tribes- the Mandan (Nueta), Hidatsa, and Arikara (Sahnish)) is pursuing a degree in environmental science at Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. Severance will work on an Indigenous Plant Revival Project by conducting research about cultural uses and methods for growing native plants. Sasha Sillitti ((Three Affiliated Tribes- the Mandan (Nueta), Hidatsa, and Arikara (Sahnish)), Student Account’s Counselor, will serve as mentor.

Dayna Thompson (White Earth Nation Ojibwe) is pursuing an associates of arts degree at White Earth Tribal and Community College on the White Earth Reservation in Mahnomen, Minnesota. She will create a culture and language-based club open to student and non-student participants through the seven grandfather teachings so participants can bring the teachings back to their communities, families, and villages. Raven Freebird (Bad River and White Earth Ojibwe), a First Year Experience Coach, will serve as mentor.

About the American Indian College Fund—The American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 33 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer” and provided $15.5 million in scholarships and other direct student support to American Indian students in 2020-21. Since its founding in 1989 the College Fund has provided more than $259 million in scholarships, programmatic and community support. The College Fund also supports a variety of academic and support programs at the nation’s 35 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators and is one of the nation’s top 100 charities named to the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org.

Journalists—The American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use the College Fund.

Photo 1: Nical Glasses (Navajo), an American Indian College Fund Indigenous Visionary and student at Diné College.

Photo 2: Paula Cooper (Anishinaabe), an American Indian College Fund Indigenous Visionary and student at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College in Hayward, Wisconsin.

Photo 3: Charli Earth (Winnebago), an American Indian College Fund Indigenous Visionary and student at Little Priest Tribal College on the Winnebago Reservation in Nebraska.

Photo 4: Shadlynn Severance ((Three Affiliated Tribes- the Mandan (Nueta), Hidatsa, and Arikara (Sahnish)), an American Indian College Fund Indigenous Visionary and student at Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota.

Photo 5: Dayna Thompson (White Earth Nation Ojibwe) an American Indian College Fund Indigenous Visionary and student at White Earth Tribal and Community College on the White Earth Nation Reservation in Mahnomen, MN.