Unity reverberates from tribal college gathering

The message of the 2025 tribal college gathering resonated far beyond America’s northern Great Plains. Last month, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium’s Student Conference was held in Rapid City, South Dakota. While this gathering pitted the 37 tribal colleges and universities against one another in a variety of academic and athletic competitions, the message received by participants is that TCUs across Turtle Island are unified in honoring Indigenous culture and educational values. In her letter welcoming participants to the land of the Lakota, Oglala Lakota College President Dawn Tobacco Two-Crow Frank offered her vision about what the TCU movement means. “As we gather in the spirit of learning and unity, we must remember our responsibility to protect and uphold our treaty and trust obligations,” she said. “As relatives, we are bound by our commitment to higher education and the future of our nations.” College of Menominee Nation students have a history of excelling in the AIHEC competitions they enter, and this year marked another successful outing for the school. Coached by Lucy Fenzl, CMN’s Science Bowl tied for second place in their competition. Comprised of Alexandria Ehlert, Evelyn Schmidt and Elora Waupoose, the team proved to be adept at answering questions from a variety of STEM fields. Ehlert also presented a poster. CMN’s Knowledge Bowl revealed their comprehension of Lakota texts. Coached by Vicki Besaw, team members Gary Miller, Emerald Otradovec and Dakota Waupoose took eighth place in this year’s event. Waupoose was also elected the vice president of the AIHEC Student Conference, and he will serve in that role until March 2026. For the third consecutive year, CMN students won both Duo Interpretation categories in the Speech Competition. This year, Gary Miller and Emerald Otradovec took home first place in both the Humorous and Serious competitions. Evelyn Schmidt and Elora Waupoose won second place in the Duo Interpretation Serious category. I was honored to be the team’s coach. Otradovec said: “Although we were there for competitions of a wide variety, I still felt a sense of unity as one people. I find it so beautiful to be able to have the opportunity to join other Natives who come from similar and different backgrounds and feel absolutely valued as a Native person, with no judgement on whether we are all ‘Native enough’ to be there.” Schmidt said: “It was the camaraderie between all of us who attended. We shared laughter, food, stories and memories that enhanced the experience and made it something personal within our community.” CMN’s American Indian College Fund’s Student of the Year, Dawn Wilber, was lauded for embodying the essence of a tribal college student. Although Wilber was honored at her own banquet among fellow recipients at other TCUs, her focus was on supporting her CMN peers. Wilber said: “I am so proud to represent CMN, and I am so proud of all of my fellow students. I truly enjoyed spending time with them all.” That time included informative trips to Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument, and, inspired by their coursework, students requested to visit the site of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre. Placing tobacco down in prayer to honor the ancestors, the CMN delegation supported the local vendors, were gifted with stories from the descendants of those who lost their lives at the site and received further affirmation that the ability for tribal nations to meet to celebrate their educational and cultural endeavors was only made possibly by the sacrifices of those who came before them. Miller said: “It’s because of my awareness of the past that I truly appreciated the opportunity to meet with peers from across the country in friendly competition. The ability to view significant historical landmarks in the area during the bit of downtime was absolutely captivating.” Elora Waupoose said: “I loved traveling with everyone and connecting with my peers and supervisors. I felt like I was a part of something special.” CMN President Christopher Caldwell said: “The AIHEC Student Conference is a chance for our students to push boundaries through competition but also to get to know their student peers at other tribal colleges and universities. I was very honored to witness great leadership by our faculty coaches and our students as they competed in a way that brings honor to themselves and the College of Menominee Nation.” The theme of the conference was “Ancient Wisdom, the Foundation of Our Future: Sovereignty, Unity, and Strength for Future Generations.” CMN students’ reflections prove that message resonated far beyond America’s northern Great Plains. Ryan Winn, Ph.D., teaches communications, English, history and theater at the College of Menominee Nation. Visit www.menominee.edu for more information about the school.