Student Development
Explore Development Opportunities
Study Skills
No matter what your grades are, everyone needs some guidance to find success in the classroom. Here are some resources to help you develop the best study habits and skills you’ll need to get your degree:
What are Office Hours? – by Andrew Ishak
Time Management: TCU Video Project Series
Focus 2 Self-Assessment
Many people struggle with choosing an academic major during school, or job industry after graduation, but choosing a path is important when choosing your classes, internships and other career opportunities.
Focus 2 combines self-assessment, career and major exploration, decision-making and planning in one place. By matching your assessment results to career options and majors/programs for your consideration, FOCUS 2 guides you through a career and education decision-making model to help you make informed career decisions and take action in planning your future.
To use this free service, register to create an account with the access code collegefund. From there, you can take each test- personality, interests, values, and skills- to build your academic and career planning profile. Print your profile to share with an academic or career counselor or mentor to discuss your career plan or transition to a new profession.
Money Management
It is also important to understand budgeting, credit, and debt management – to help you to make responsible decisions in school, and prepare for your financial life after school. Learn about the following topics in related posts — your financial future depends on it.
- Money Management — Developing Common Cents (College Fund)
- Per Cap (First Nations Development Institute)
- Financial Skills for Families (First Nations Development Institute)
- Developing Your Vision: Managing Your Money
- Your First Bank Account
- Childcare Costs (and Ways to Reduce Them)
- When Your Child Has Special Needs
- Caring For Aging Parents
- Children and Family Considerations
Student Ambassador Program
The American Indian College Fund Ambassador Program was established in 2015 to strengthen students’ and alumni personal and professional skills and to represent the College Fund.
Our Blogs
American Indian College Fund Director, Joe Pytka, Receives One Club Honor
Contrary to the above headline, advertising legend Joe Pytka is most known for the hundreds of commercials he’s directed for the world’s largest brands including Nike, Pepsi, McDonalds, and the NFL. Pytka also directed iconic music videos such as Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel ” that had a profound impact on all of us whose formative years were spent during the golden age of MTV.
Morgan Stanley Foundation Gives $20,000 to American Indian College Fund
The American Indian College Fund received a $20,000 grant from the Morgan Stanley Foundation to continue the Morgan Stanley Foundation Tribal Scholars Program. For more than ten years the Morgan Stanley Foundation has been providing scholarships to American Indian students pursuing degrees in financial studies at the nation’s tribal colleges and mainstream universities.
Northwest Indian College Team Selected for NASA Student Rocket Launch
Congratulations to Team SkyWalkers, Northwest Indian College’s (NWIC) team that will be part of this year’s NASA Student Launch Initiative April 21 near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. NWIC’s team was one of 42 nationwide selected to participate in the program this year. Team SkyWalkers is comprised of more than 12 students from five tribes ranging from age 19 to 58 and advised by NWIC faculty member Gary Brandt, who has taught the sciences, electronics, and robotics at NWIC since 1989.
Alumna Helps Her People Fight Diabetes
Lynn Cuny, an Oglala Lakota alumna who works for a special diabetes prevention program as a health technician in Rapid City, SD , leads a group on a hike through the Black Hills as part of her community prevention and awareness program in this 2010 file photo.
United Health Foundation Donates $50,000 to College Scholarships to New Mexico Students
United Health Foundation has donated $50,000 to the American Indian College Fund to help provide scholarships to nine New Mexico students preparing to pursue careers in health care.The contribution supports students through The United Health Foundation Tribal Scholars Program, which provides scholarships for American-Indian students who are committed to improving the health of their communities.
Student Punished for Speaking Native Language
A Menominee high school student in Wisconsin was punished for speaking her Native language there. She was teaching other students how to say specific words, such as “hello,”, “thank you,” and “good bye” in her Native tongue. Her teacher said it was inappropriate because she could not understand what she was saying and therefore could not monitor her speech.


