TCJ Student, the Tribal College Journal’s (TCJ’s) ancillary publication that lifts the voices of tribal college and university (TCU) students, has hired three new student bloggers who will provide online content for their website. The TCJ Student bloggers title their own blog and will contribute two blogs monthly.

R.H. “Dolly” Peterman of Leech Lake Tribal College (LLTC) will author the blog “Cop School.” Peterman is a first-year law enforcement student at LLTC in Cass Lake, Minnesota. She is also a security officer at a hospital in Minnesota’s beautiful Iron Range. She previously taught graduate courses in law and ethics and related subjects at Cardinal Stritch University, and practiced law in the Twin Cities area. Ms. Peterman earned BS and Juris Doctor degrees at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus and an MS in health services administration from Cardinal Stritch College. When she is not working or studying, she is usually plowing snow or deer-watching.

Markus Altaha of San Carlos Apache College (SCAC) will author the blog “Thoughts of an Indigenous Introvert.” Altaha is a member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe and is currently attending SCAC. It was in high school that he discovered his talent for writing. His journey as a writer and a student at a tribal college began sitting on the roof of his grandmother’s house in a tiny dusty town on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona. He is currently pursuing “wild dreams that roam beyond the barbed wire fences of the Rez,” as he finds his own place in the 21^st century world as an Indigenous introvert. With pencil in hand, Altaha is “ready to live a life worth writing about.”

Madison Weingust of Bay Mills Community College (BMCC) will author the blog “Living with the Seasons.” Weingust is an Anishinaabekwe from the Great Lakes who is an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. She is studying Native American studies at BMCC and is passionate about her Anishinaabe culture and seeks to convey this through her writing.

You can find all of the student blogs online at tcjstudent.org beginning this October. TCJ editor Bradley Shreve stated, “Thanks to a small grant we received from the Ballantine Family Fund, we can bring on three tribal college student bloggers and writers this fall. We had a staggering number of blogger applications this year – more than all previous years combined – making our decision to narrow it down to even three students very, very difficult. Honestly, I wish we had spots for everyone who applied, as the writing quality was excellent and the voices and perspectives as diverse as Indian Country itself. I encourage all our readers to check these students’ blogs. They are the future of our Native nations.”