Ann Arbor Times

High school student Ella Black, from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, found new educational opportunities through the Indigenous Education Youth Collective program. This initiative is a collaboration between the University of Michigan, Anishinaabe youth and families, and Lake Superior State University. It supports Native American students by combining cultural heritage with academic pursuits.

Black expressed her newfound perspective on education: “I am learning that research plays a crucial role in improving educational opportunities for all, especially those from diverse backgrounds like Native American students.” She emphasized the importance of identifying barriers such as financial constraints and lack of support systems to improve accessibility.

The program serves 15 preteens and teens aged 11 to 18. It operates in Sault Ste. Marie, a community near multiple tribal groups including the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and Bay Mills Indian Community.

Jeremy Wright-Kim, co-founder of the program and assistant professor at U-M’s Marsal Family School of Education, stated: “We know that Native students aren’t experiencing the type of support they need or deserve, both in education and cultural enrichment.” He added that their aim is to help students integrate their native identities with traditional academics.

Black has been working on research related to tribal disenrollment impacts on Native identity since eighth grade under U-M professor Dave Burke. Burke noted: “Ella’s research is primarily a tool to train a student to use formalized thought processes.”

Chloe Kannan, a U-M alumna and adjunct professor at LSSU’s College of Great Lakes Ecology and Education, initiated contact with Wright-Kim in 2022 for this program's creation. She highlighted Wright-Kim's expertise in college readiness: “Jeremy is an expert on opportunities for college readiness... So I invited him...to co-found this Native college-access program with me.”

Michigan recorded 8,500 Native American students in K-12 schools for 2022-23 but estimates suggest numbers exceed 27,000 due to underrepresentation. These students face low graduation rates and high dropout rates according to state data.

Kannan aims for universities to see this project as a model for partnering with Native communities: “We want to help Native students inform universities how to serve them better.”

The collective meets biweekly at Lake Superior’s campus offering cultural events and workshops fostering academic success among participants like Jay Johnson who said: “The program has given me a chance to connect with my Native identity.”

Kamryn Corbiere also shared her experience focusing on media portrayal issues stating: "I want to educate others...to inspire the media."