Letter from a Supporter

I'd like to personally thank Sandra Beasley of Cleveland, Ohio, an unenrolled member of the Cherokee tribe who resides in Cleveland, Ohio, for taking the time to write to me about the Think Indian campaign.

Sandra writes that the campaign "is absolutely brilliant, sensational, awesome, tremendous, epic, and life-changing" and that the stories of traditional and non-traditional students were inspiring for her.

Sandra saw the ads in the New York Times at her local public library and copied them and posted them on her bedroom door for inspiration to cause her to reflect on what it means to be American Indian.

She adds, "As I always say, if you change one person's life for the better, you have succeeded, and the American Indian College Fund has done it, time and again."

We'd like to hear from more people. How has the American Indian College Fund's Think Indian campaign helped change your perceptions about what it means to be an American Indian or helped you think about culturally based education?

Summer is Time for Native Students to Prepare for School in Fall

Summertime. For many people across the nation, summer is a time to kick back, relax, and celebrate! But for many of our students in Indian nations, summer is a time to cobble together several jobs and pinch pennies to ensure they can continue their college education in the fall.

Students like Nahnbah Ciccarello, who finished her first year of studies at Navajo Technical College in New Mexico, wonder whether they will have enough saved to be able to enter school again in the fall. Nahnbah has a small child that she leaves at home with relatives while she commutes the 100-mile round trip journey each day to attend school.

Thanks to your support and encouragement, students like Nahnbah have the funds to complete their education and ensure a better future for themselves and their families.

Thank you for helping American Indian students, who never have a summer vacation from poverty.