However, Wensaut’s college and community journey is more rare than commonplace. Increased funding for culturally specific support services and institutional reform are still needed. Bird Bear says Native students will continue to struggle unless changes become reality in higher education.
“Structural inequalities exist for the majority of American Indian communities today in public education, and the socioeconomics of most Indian groups make college a challenge,” he says. “The talented students will always keep coming to higher education, but improving their satisfaction with their higher education experiences will be influential considering how small Indian country is. With Indians being place-based peoples, there needs to be institutional spaces that are on par with the institutional structures serving majority students.”
Last month, Knoxsah received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts. The diploma represents the opportunity to move up the socioeconomic ladder, according to Knoxsah.
“For me this is just the first step,” she says. “It’s not the end of my education. I want to get my Ph.D. and eventually teach at a university.”
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
