High School Equivalency Visibility Project

About The Project

The American Indian College Fund engaged three TCU high school equivalency (HSE) partners for the HSE Visibility Project, featuring the stories of HSE students and graduates in a social media campaign throughout winter and spring of 2024. Native HSE students have many experiences and stories of what initially led them to drop out of school – family responsibilities, work, health issues, escaping negative learning environments, substance abuse, undiagnosed learning disabilities, and so on. Yet, even after they’ve made the choice to resume their studies, they are still sometimes followed by the “dropout” stigma. HSE Programs are likewise marked with a reputation of inferiority – they are often underfunded, understaffed, unacknowledged, and housed off the main campus, in old buildings, or in back rooms. The HSE Visibility Project aimed to show HSE students as they are – brilliant, resilient, determined, and successful, as well as diverse in age, experience, and goals. The project also sought to elevate HSE as a significant pathway to college and an indispensable resource for tribal communities. You can view the social media campaign on our Native Pathways and American Indian College Fund social media platforms. TCUs also shared content to their respective social media platforms and on their campuses.