Students pictured are (not in order): Shawnee Kinley, Casey Douma, Maxine Broken Nose, Rose Smith, Eric Deschine, Leann Doney, Robert Shot Gun, Trina Carry Moccasin, and Russell Piapot. Photos by Marble Street Studios/Albuquerque.

Over the past year I’ve watched a slow but steady change of consciousness take place amongst tribal college students within the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) Student Congress and across the nation. I believe that students are gaining a new sense of self-worth and power. At meetings, workshops, and the leadership forums, students are raising the bar for their own performance. A remarkable metamorphosis is taking place.

A few years ago, many students were angry and at times alienated. Cynicism was a very common denominator within the group as a result of their life experiences. Of course, there is still cynicism and anger, but it is being focused in a more positive direction. Obviously, Student Congress can’t take complete credit for these changes. Societal changes and other factors have come into play. Yet, I do believe that the Student Congress’s work has been an important component.

At the Leading All People Summer Institute, a one-week gathering of tribal college students in Santa Fe, NM, students tackle issues dealing with conflict resolution, personal communication, and leadership. Each participant must develop a community action plan and then work on it at their home reservation or college. In the past, students have dealt with issues such as gang violence, domestic abuse, campus security, and drug use.

Many have taken on major leadership roles serving their campus and community. Some of them might have done so without the Student Congress. However, many have said that their experiences with the Student Congress and with the summer institute challenged them to chart a new course for their life.

These students will one day be the leaders in the nation’s tribal communities. Many are already playing important roles. When we asked students what leadership meant to them, their comments and ideas filled many pages: “Leadership is a state of mind.” “It is a changing force that never stops.” “Leadership is free flowing and fluid.” “Leadership is action.” “Leadership isn’t easy.”

For the past three years, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has supported the summer institute, which the AIHEC Student Congress set up to promote leadership development within the tribal colleges. Each year it continues to grow.

Co-hosted by the Institute of American Indian Arts, participants last year were challenged to complete numerous projects, including a ropes course. The Santa Fe Community College has one of the best ropes courses in the nation and has worked with the institute from year one. The ropes course is physically and emotionally challenging, and participants must examine their own fears and strengths. It reinforces honesty, communication, group support, and working as a team, all critical leadership qualities. While each person attempts his or her own journey, the others offer encouragement.

Students built confidence and trust on the ropes course. Photo by Marble Street Studios/Albuquerque

The course is not just about a fear of heights; it is also about moving on in one’s life. Last summer, one student made it to the top of one of the obstacles but turned around, unable to take the final jump. She didn’t give up. After other students made their own attempts, she decided to go back up the pole. Although everyone was hot and tired, the group encouraged her, and when she finally jumped into the air, a huge eruption of cheers filled the course.

Another trust activity was mask building. Each delegate was partnered with someone who made a mask of his or her face with casting adhesive. Participants must sit still and communicate without speaking while a virtual stranger applies plaster to their face.

Other activities helped students explore their own ideas and beliefs about leadership, power, community, and human development. While in Santa Fe, the participants visited local pueblos, shared in a traditional feast and celebration, attended an outdoor theater production, and toured the area. They also met representatives from the American for Indian Opportunities Ambassador Program.

Asked who had inspired them, many of the students mentioned people who had treated them with respect. The AIHEC Student Congress staff and board of directors have come to realize that tribal college students’ transformation can be explained very simply: respect. Intentionally and unintentionally, respect has been at the forefront of this leadership initiative from the beginning. By listening to the tribal college students and allowing them the opportunity to be leaders, we have given them the respect that they deserve. And, almost magically, their self-confidence has grown.

This summer (2002), the Student Congress is sponsoring the fourth and last institute funded by Kellogg. We hope to raise money to continue this leadership training in future years. The institute transforms the students. They arrive anxious about spending a week with people they have never met, some of them tense from their first time on a plane; for others, it’s their first time off the reservation. By the last morning when they share good-byes, they shed tears, knowing they might not see one another for a long time, if at all. But they now have a common mission. Together in spirit, these tribal college students offer each other strength and hope.

Dana Grant (Salish) has served as the advisor for the AIHEC Student Congress and as the development director for Salish Kootenai College. After 10 years with the tribal college movement, he left in February to work for an environmental company in Seattle.