Time to Choose Priorities, Stay Focused

The first three months of the year is our busiest quarter. One event we look forward to in the spring is the annual American Indian Higher Education Consortium Student Conference. More than 1,300 tribal college and university students come from across the country to compete in academic and cultural activities. During this conference, TCJ’s small staff will be holding a workshop, manning an exhibit booth, sponsoring a poetry slam, and announcing the winners of our annual student writing, art, and film contest. As we go to press with this issue, we are simultaneously working on our summer issue, planning our fall issue, as well as tackling multiple other projects.

It’s an exciting time of year, but it’s also a time when we need to choose our priorities and stay focused. When the unexpected happens, we must be able to nimbly navigate the hurdles. I’m often heartened by the stories we hear from our own tribal college students about how they creatively approach challenges. One of our TCJ Student bloggers, Celina gray, writes about the obstacles she confronts in her relatable and popular blog “Twiniversity.” As a mom of twin toddlers and a tribal college student, she chronicles the ups and downs of the responsibilities she juggles. She also takes on additional roles such as organizing conferences and serving in student leadership positions.

Tribal college students face real challenges—more so than average college students. Their trials are, often enough, not just about finding time for homework. Some students struggle with finding basic necessities like adequate housing, enough food, and reliable transportation. Many others are also managing work and family responsibilities along with a rigorous academic schedule. Patrick Schmid, a social work student at Cankdeska Cikana Community College, saw a need on his campus and recently created a food bank to help assist students and other community members who are going hungry. Adam Schulz is undertaking a similar effort at College of Menominee Nation.

When we attend the student conference this March, one person you will miss at our exhibit booth is Kim Cox, TCJ’s former advertising coordinator. Kim was a valued contributor to TCJ for the past 12 years. She has moved on and we wish her all the best in her next endeavor. One familiar face who you will see is Marvene Tom. A longtime employee of TCJ, Marvene has accepted the challenge of becoming our new advertising coordinator. We are excited to have her in this new role as we move into 2019.

We have so much to look forward to in the coming year and we thank you, our readers, for your steadfast interest, contributions, and support of the tribal college movement.