For most of Alex’s life, she attended schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education. If she had been an average student, she might not have graduated high school, as Native students attending BIE-funded schools have an average graduation rate of 53 percent. But Alex is not average—her success story is due to her incredible work ethic and the support she’s received from family, friends, and donors of the American Indian Education Fund® (AIEF), a program of Partnership With Native Americans® (PWNA).

A member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Alex grew up on a farm in North Dakota with her parents, younger sister, and two younger brothers. She shared that growing up on a farm “taught me to be self-reliant and to work hard for what I want.”

Alex was a first-generation college student who had to learn to “navigate this brand-new world.” One significant source of relief was her AIEF scholarship for her last two school years. As an AIEF scholar, she also received a backpack and care packages throughout the year filled with school and household supplies. Alex told us, “I loved getting the care packages. It was really hard to get outside during COVID, so it was nice to get stuff sent to me.”

All the intense studying and sleepless nights paid off for Alex, and in May of 2024, she graduated from Turtle Mountain Community College with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Her goal is to become a preschool teacher. She explained, “It has always been my dream for as long as I can remember to work with kids. I have always loved taking care of children. I want to be a preschool teacher so I can start children off on the right foot in the educational field.”

Alex’s Native American name is Butterfly in the Blue Sky, and she recalled how a teacher – whose Native name also included butterflies – predicted that she would have a career with children. Alex told us, “I want to help children enjoy their education right from the very beginning. Education is important in general, especially in the Native American community. Most children rely on an education to get off the reservation for college and start a brand-new life.”

Alex hopes to collaborate with her Tribe to improve the school system. She told us, “Our elementary is the lowest-rated school in the state.”

With her bachelor’s degree completed, Alex plans to pursue a master’s and eventual doctorate in elementary education. Wherever her journey leads, she plans to end up at home. She shared, “There’s a bigger need here, and I’ve known this place all my life, so it’d be really hard to leave.”

Alex thanked AIEF donors for their generosity, saying, “It is very rare that there is a local scholarship, especially for undergraduate students. I want to take this time to thank you for providing me and other Native students with this incredible opportunity. This scholarship helped kickstart my educational journey and made this a lot easier for me and my mental health. Stress impacts me a lot when I remember I have thousands of dollars to pay to get an education.” Donate to AIEF today to fund the future of ambitious Native students like Alex.