26th Annual Special College Issue • 2019-2020Welcome from AISES

WELCOME FROM AISESHeadshotWelcome to the 2019–2020 Special College Issue! Whether you’re just starting to think about college, are already there, or are looking ahead to graduate school, this edition is for you.The centerpiece of this issue is our list of Top 200 Colleges for Indigenous Students. It has been carefully researched and specially designed to help you find your best school. You’ll see that it is formatted so that you can easily check and compare important facts, like cost and graduation rate, so you can use it to find a school that feels like home.One thing we hear a lot from students is how important it is to find that feeling by discovering a community. Take Michael Gilpin, who graduated from a small high school — in a class of 30 — then traveled from the rural Forest County Potawatomi Reservation in northern Wisconsin to attend the Big Ten campus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He says that the Native community got him “through freshman and sophomore year.…they made school feel like a second home.” With our Top 200 list we hope you’ll be able to find your own “second home” by checking for campus resources, like an AISES College Chapter, specifically for Native students.As you think about applying, you’ll find pointers about college admissions in the article “Getting In.” Use it to get up to speed on a few factors that are changing, and stay on top of things that are staying the same. Remember, at the end of the day it’s all about the fit — finding a school where you can flourish academically and socially without breaking the bank.At the end of the day it’s all about the fit — finding a school where you can flourish academically and socially without breaking the bank.About that last consideration — the financial one — you should be well informed. The article “Student Loan Smarts” will help. Learn about the different ways to borrow and important things to think about before your sign those loan documents. You want to end up with enough money to cover your college costs at a reasonable interest rate and manageable repayment terms. Don’t burden your future self with more debt than you will be able to comfortably manage.Also in this issue starting you will find profiles of some colleges and universities that represent a wide range of sizes and locations. You can get acquainted with the AISES College Chapter at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, which hosted the second Canadian Indigenous Science and Engineering Society (.caISES) conference. Chapter president Joel Grant says that the members work closely with other Indigenous groups on campus and together they have “successfully created an environment of positivity and inclusiveness.”I hope you will find many useful pointers in this issue so that you can find a school where you will discover an environment of “positivity and inclusiveness” that lets you thrive.Ta’Tura Tsiksu (With Much Respect),SignatureSarah EchoHawk
Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma
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