In September of 2015, Bridget Skenadore, Native Arts and Culture Project Coordinator, presented at the 2016 International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries and Museums conference hosted by the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums (ATALM) in Washington, DC. The annual conference allows of an exchange of dialogue between Indigenous organizations, museums and libraries “who work to protect and advance cultural sovereignty
Check out the piece by American Indian College Fund President Cheryl Crazy Bull in the July/August 2015 issue of The Aspen Journal of Ideas blog. With more than 30 years of experience in Native higher education, she shares how tribal colleges and universities are integral to the success of Native American youth succeed with weaving culture into everything they do.
The American Indian College Fund (the College Fund) announced that The Walt Disney Company has committed $250,000 to create The Walt Disney Company American Indian College Fund Scholarship Program. The program will provide Native American and Alaska Native students who have financial need with multi-year support to attend tribal colleges and universities nationwide.
The American Indian College Fund (the College Fund) announced at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium Student Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico that it is pledging its full support for Generation Indigenous (Gen-I), an initiative launched by President Obama to improve the lives of Native youth by removing barriers that stand between them and opportunities for success.
Waylon Ballew (Lummi Tribe of the Lummi Reservation/Northern Cheyenne) believes tradition is an important part of higher education. In order for him to be a community leader, Waylon said he must carry his traditions forward for future generations. Growing up on Bellingham Bay in northwest Washington state, Waylon said he was immersed in community youth leadership programs, where he incorporated leadership training in community youth tribal canoe journeys as he traveled ancestral waterways to potlatches (gatherings).
William (Bill) Mendoza, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education, Oglala-Sicangu Lakota, and a professional educator with experience as a teacher and a principal, is speaking at the American Indian College Fund’s convening on Native Family Engagement as part of The Ké’ Early Childhood Initiative (Ké’ ECE Initiative) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, being held March 9-10.
The American Indian College Fund has created a re-granting opportunity for Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) to enhance the capacity of traditional Native arts forms and knowledge for the thirteen (TCUs) in the upper-Midwest states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Thanksgiving is a time of sharing and community bonding. The Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) Youth Development Incorporated (YDI) families engaged with one another during our Native Harvest Feast on November 24, 2014. SIPI YDI families and Wakanyeja “Sacred Little Ones”/Ke’ staff worked together to provide a Native inspired meal to share in honor of the “giving thanks” season.
In American Indian tradition, elders are esteemed for their guidance and are considered to be sacred. To honor Denver-area American Indian elders, the American Indian College Fund (the College Fund) will host a holiday dinner on Tuesday, December 2 from 5:30-8:00 p.m. at The Cable Center, the University of Denver, 2000 Buchtel Boulevard in Denver, Colorado. Doors open for dinner at 5:30 p.m. The event is free to all American Indians age 55 and older. The dinner includes a traditional feast of buffalo and entertainment. The emcee for the event is Cordell KillsCrow. An Indian Santa played will distribute goody bags and hams and the Mile High Singers drum group will perform.
A hardscrabble childhood didn’t “harden” Erika Torres-Hernandez, but it did sharpen the Chippewa-Cree tribe member’s resolve to achieve her goals and give back. A recipient of a Toyota Tribal College Scholarship, Torres-Hernandez studies math at a tribal college in Rocky Boy, Mont. Once the 3.7-GPA student earns her four-year degree from a university, she plans to return to the reservation to teach high school.
