Higher Education for California Native Nation Building: A Retrospective on College Experience and Completion

Theresa Stewart-Ambo

The Journal of Higher Education, 2021, vol. 92, issue 4, 499-521

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the symbiotic relationship between Native nation-building and higher education in California (CA)—an understudied topic in Indian education. The aim was two-fold: 1) understand how, and whether, educational achievement and nation-building are tied together, and 2) extend current literature on in-college experience by elevating the perspectives of CA Indian students. Working with a select sample of CA Indians (n = 5), all who graduated from the same public university in the state and are actively involved in their tribes, this exploratory retrospective study examined aspects of college student experience, motivations to complete, and the role of tribal communities in graduation. Participants reflect on the relevancy of education, feeling (under)valued on campus, classroom invalidation and hostility, campus involvement, giving back, and the role of their tribes in pursuing and completing college. These findings extend current research on American Indian college students, while concurrently centering the voices of and building on existing scholarship to include CA Indian college graduates.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1080/00221546.2020.1841549

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