#tribal colleges

I have been fortunate to have had some exciting opportunities as a college student. I was invited to the White House and held internships at the National Science Foundation and at a university in New Zealand. I co-starred on a PBS series called CodeTrip, with two other computer-science students and I drove an RV across the United States, visiting top professionals in our field. My secret to landing these opportunities? It was my decision, as a Native American, to attend a tribal college — first Diné College, a Navajo institution where I earned my associate degree, and then Salish Kootenai College, in Montana, where I recently graduated.

The nation’s 37 tribally controlled colleges and universities are rooted in a unique mix of Native tradition and innovation, providing students with cultural knowledge and opportunities for academic and personal exploration. Many of them are located in rural communities often overlooked by mainstream institutions. Students can earn degrees or take general-education requirements without having to move far away from home or pay huge tuition, room, and board fees — which are out of reach financially for many Native students. Tribal colleges also collaborate with other universities in the region to create an easy transfer process. And students represent various tribes, ages, and cultural backgrounds, helping ease worries about being the odd man out.

Despite all these benefits, there is often still a stigma associated with attending a tribal college. After I earned an associate degree from Diné, I did an internship in Washington, where I was lucky enough to meet students from all over the country. When I discussed my plans to continue my education, some people would ask me: “Are you going to transfer to a real university now?” My answer was, I don’t think any institution could be more real than a tribal college. These colleges don’t have fancy advertising campaigns, strategic recruitment policies, or lucrative football franchises. They were created by and for Native communities not only to provide students with an education, but also to promote their cultures, languages, and histories.

I am often asked, “Why did you attend a tribal college?” I can’t offer a quick response, because I have to sift through many positive reasons. Growing up, I often felt either too Native or not Native enough. I was born outside Houston, but raised in a household where we proudly observed our Stockbridge-Munsee culture, as part of a Native community whose reservation is in Wisconsin. Often, as the only Native student in my classes at school, I would find myself having to balance these seemingly contradictory aspects of my identity. I had two choices: I could defend my culture while still trying to understand what it meant to me, or I could serve as the resident spectacle for students who had never met a Native person and felt no qualms about touching my hair or pulling at my beadwork.

When I tested into a magnet program at a high school on the other side of town, I was suddenly surrounded by wealth and privilege, as well as offensive caricatures of my culture. The “Redskins” were the school mascot, and I found myself trying to reconcile words like “Scalp ’em, Indians” with who I was. I became discouraged thinking about pursuing a higher education. After working random jobs for a few years, I found myself still longing to continue my education but I didn’t know where to go. How do you attend college when no one else in your immediate family has had that experience?

In 2012 I enrolled at Diné, after selling my car to pay for my first semester. The college walked me through the financial-aid process and explained the differences between degree programs. My course catalog, which stressed the importance of culture and education, became my bible. I found myself not having to take on any unwanted roles at a tribal college: I was not the school’s resident “Native expert,” or “that Native girl over there.” I was able to be me.

-Robin Maxkii

Originally published in Chronicle of Higher Education

https://www.chronicle.com/article/Why-I-Attended-Tribal-College/241161