COLLEGE &

CAREER
PLANNING:
NATIVE
AMERICAN
STUDENTS

Chance Campbell & Alex Tilley

Fall 2022
 Agenda

1. Native American Educational History

2. Current Issues Impacting our Native
American Students
3. College & Career Statistics
4. Counseling Methods to Support Native
American Students
5. Resources
Land
Acknowledgement
We would like to acknowledge that this
meeting is being held on the traditional
lands of the Tongva People, and we pay our
respects to elders both past and present.
 01
HISTORY
MATTERS
 TIMELINE
Children were Native Americans were
removed from their given more
Native Americans
Native Americans families and placed sovereignty, but with a
are removed from
were forced onto into boarding loss of federal rights & An era marked by
their lands and
federally-controlled schools, where they funding. This leads to national Native
forced into Indian
reservations were Christianized poorer reservations & resistance and a fight
Territory
and stripped of exodus into non-native for lands & rights
cultural traditions. lands.

1828-1849 1850-1878 1879-1933 1934-1967 1968-present

Indian New Self-
Indian Reservation Boarding Determination &
Deal & Urban
Removal Era Era School Era Relocation Era
Self
Governance Era

1830: Indian Removal 1854- 1879: Indian 1887: Dawes Act 1934: Indian 1968: First tribal
Act signed Plain Wars Reservation Act/ Indian college established
New Deal
1838: Trail of 1968: Indian Civil Rights’ Act
Tears 1851: Indian 1924: Indian 1953-1962:
Appropriations Act Citizenship Act Termination
2021: Native
Policy
population is on the
rise

(Native Americans in Philanthropy, 2022)

Loss of Indigenous Land

Native Americans
have lost
approximately
99% of the land
they once
occupied
Native American Boarding School Era (1879-1933)

● A bi-product of the Indian Civilization Act of

1819
● 357 boarding schools housed 60,000 Native
children
● Operated largely by Christian missionaries
● Attendance was mandatory

● At boarding school, children:

○ Hair cut off
○ Forced to wear Americanized clothing
○ Were Christianized
○ Banned from speaking their native
languages
○ Taught tradework
“Kill the Indian, Save the Man” ○ Endured unhygienic & abusive living
Richard Henry Pratt, founder of The Carlisle Indian School
conditions

(Native Americans in Philanthropy, 2022)

Native American Boarding School Era (1879-1933)
● ~400 children from Western
States were displaced from
their homelands/families
Adoption Era
and were forced into (1958-1967)
adoption
● Based on the presumption
that Native Americans are
unfit to raise children

“It took me years to realize nothing was

wrong with me and the response I had to
the trauma I’d experienced as an
adoptee” - White Earth Band of Ojibwe
(Native Americans in Philanthropy, 2022; Woodward, 2018)
 02
STATISTICS
 Current Statistics

Poverty Employment

25% of Native Americans 11.1% of Native Americans are

live in poverty vs. 15% for unemployed vs. the national
the rest of the country unemployment rate of 4.4%

(U.S. Census Bureau, 2019)

 25.4% 20.8% 17.6% 10.1% 10.1%

Native American Black Hispanic White Asian

Based on 2018 Census Information # of People in Income

Household

3 $19,985

Poverty Based on
4 $25,701

5 $30,459

Ethnicity 6 $34,533

7 $39,194

8 $43,602

(U.S. Census Bureau, 2019) 9 $51,393

 Unemployment
Rates

2020-2022

(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022)

 THE SLIDE
HealthTITLE
Considerations
GOES HERE!

Life expectancy is 5.5 years lower than other

races in the United States

Native Americans die at higher rates than other

races in many categories:
● chronic liver disease
● diabetes mellitus
● chronic respiratory diseases
● assault/homicide
● suicide

(Kao, 2020)
 High School
Graduation Rates &
Readiness

● Native students are less likely to have family

members that have attended college.
● 21% of Native American children live in a
household with a parent who completed a
bachelor’s degree vs. 52% of white households.

(California Department of Education, 2019)

 School Discipline

Suspensions Expulsions

Native American statewide

suspension rate is 7.2% compared
to the statewide suspension rate Native American boys are expelled
of 3.5% at a rate 4.2x higher than the
state average
Native American girls: 4.6%
Native American boys: 9.6% Highest expulsion rate for any
racial/ethnic or gender rate
Fortuna Union High suspends 71%
of Native American males

(The Sacramento Native American Higher Education Collaborative & Community College Equity Assessment Lab, 2019)
From Boarding
Schools to
Suspension
Boards

(The Sacramento Native American Higher

Education Collaborative & Community College
Equity Assessment Lab, 2019)
 03
COUNSELING
CONSIDERATIONS
 ASCA’s statement in supporting
Native American Students
The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Professional Standards &
Competencies state that school counselors are to understand and respect the
culture, race, religion, of cultural, social and environmental impact on student
success and opportunities. School counselors are to have a basic understanding
of the communication systems, traditions, values, and customs of other races,
religions, ethnicities, and nationalities, including Native Americans (American
School Counselor Association). The work of school counselors includes
understanding and explaining how cultural background affects student
performance in school both in academics and in their social/emotional behaviors
(American School Counselor Association). The role of the school counselor is to
also have high standards and expectations for all students, including Native
American students, or students of any race, ethnicity, culture, economic, or
social standing (American School Counselor Association).
 Historical Trauma - The 4 C’s
2. Collective
1. Colonial Injury
Experience

Traumagenic nature of The experience the group

colonialism and the impact goes through as a whole.
on a group/tribe.

4. Cross-
3. Cumulative
Generational
Effects
impacts
The impact these effects
The effect the experience have generationally and
has on the group. the different ways the
trauma manifests.
Challenges: Generational Trauma
Counseling Tips & Considerations
Trauma Informed Strength Based and
practices Resilience practices
● CBITS (Cognitive Behavioral ● Motivational Interviewing
Intervention for Trauma in ● MBI’s -Mindfulness Based
Schools) Interventions
● ALIVE model (Animating ○ Native Americans, with a
Learning by Integrating and strong commitment to
Validating Experience their native spirituality,
○ The model begins with exhibit significantly less
psychoeducation suicidal behavior and an
discussions with all shows increase in
students on trauma and motivation than their
how it impacts social,
peers (Le & Gobert,
emotional, academic, and
cognitive domains. 2019).

Burger, Kathryn, "Counseling Interventions for Native American Adolescents" (2019). Counselor Education
Capstones. 100. https://openriver.winona.edu/counseloreducationcapstones/100
American Indian College Fund
Vision
● Provides scholarships and
programming to American
Indian and Alaska Native
students to access to
higher education. Once a
student is in college, they
are provided with the tools
and support needed to
succeed.
● 35 Tribal Colleges involved in
the fund
Programs
● Site that supports school
counselors in navigating
college and career
exploration specifically for
Native American students
○ Internship finder
○ Career Pathways
guidebook
○ Connect
■ Career/job finder
○ FOCUS 2
■ Career Inventory for
Native Americans
 Top Factors to Consider When Choosing a
College

1. Having other Native American students on the

campus
2. Having a Native American student center/studies
department
3. Financial aid/Emergency funds
4. Native American teachers/speakers
5. Native American undergraduate/graduate student
groups
6. Scholarships/Tuition Waiver
 Financial Aid Support
US Bureau of
Indian Affairs
Students who are more than
1/4 Indian blood are eligible
for Bureau of Indian Affairs
(BIA) scholarships
Indian Health
Services
Scholarship program as well
as a loan repayment program
directly for Native American
students.
Tribal Offices
Very often if a student does
not qualify for a BIA/OIEP
grant, the tribe will award a
“tribal” scholarship
College and
Universities
Many schools offer free
tuition, room and board to
Native American students,
especially full-blooded
Native American students.
Native American
Opportunity Fund
● UC’s Native American Opportunity Plan ensures that
in-state systemwide Tuition and Student Services
Fees are fully covered for California students who are
also enrolled in federally recognized Native American,
American Indian, and Alaska Native tribes. This plan
applies to undergraduate and graduate students.
● You don't need to fill out a separate application to
qualify for the Native American Opportunity Plan. If
you qualify, UC’s you apply to contact you directly
with further instructions.

California, U. of. (n.d.). Native American opportunity plan. Native American Opportunity Plan | UC Admissions. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/tuition-financial-aid/types-of-aid/native-american-opportunity-plan.html
 Inspirational Statistic

There is a positive correlation between

life-expectancy and education attainment as it has
been found that people with higher education
attainment live longer than those without
(Flugaur-Leavitt). The average life expectancy is 61.5
years for Native Americans, a nearly 20-year
difference compared to the 81- year life expectancy
of the white population (Flugaur-Leavitt). Helping
Native American students in schools could truly
become life-changing for students.
 04
RESOURCES
Resources
 References
California Department of Education. (2019). Four year adjusted cohort graduation rate: 2018-2019.
https://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/dqcensus/CohRate.aspx?cds=00&agglevel=state&year=2018-19

California, U. of. (n.d.). Native American opportunity plan. Native American Opportunity Plan | UC Admissions. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/tuition-financial-aid/types-of-aid/native-american-opportunity-plan.html

Kao, A. (2020). Health of the first Americans. American Medical Association Journal of Ethics, 22(10), 833-836. doi: 10.1001/amajethics.2020.833.

Native Americans in Philanthropy. (2022). History through a Native lens. Investing in Native Communities.
https://nativephilanthropy.candid.org/timeline/sort/event-year_asc_num/era/indian-removal-era-begins/
The Sacramento Native American Higher Education Collaborative & Community College Equity Assessment Lab. (2019). From boarding schools to
suspension boards: Suspensions and expulsions of Native American students in California public schools. Retrieved on October 20,
2022, from http://bmmcoalition.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/From-Boarding-Schools-to-Suspensions-Boards.pdf

U.S. Census Bureau. (2019). Income and poverty in the United States: 2018. U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved October 21, 2022, from
https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-266.pdf.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022). Labor force statistics from the current population survey. U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved October 21,
2022, from https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNU04035243.

Woodward, S. (2018). Native Americans expose the Adoption Era and repair its devastation. Indian Country Today.
https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/native-americans-expose-the-adoption-era-and-repair-its-devastation#:~:text=%E2%80%9CI
t%20took%20me%20years%20to,violence%20toward%20women%20and%20children.