June Graduate Student of the Month

Scholarship: Land Conservation and Indigenous Languages Scholarship
School: Haskell Indian Nations University
Degree: Indigenous and Native American Studies

GPA: 3.68

Community Service

I have worked for various Tribal programs on my reservation. I started working at the Yankton Tribe Housing Authority as an Occupancy Counselor. Here I got familiar with the diversity of Tribal members and homes in my communities. I worked under the Yankton Sioux Child Welfare as a Parent Aid. I worked as a resource for parents in our tribal court system to follow their case plans. I got familiar with working with the foster children and their families. I also worked under the Yankton Sioux Tribal Opioid Response Program as the administrative assistant. Here I worked a lot with the in-area youth with positive outlets through community events. I was also a summer intern for the Brave Heart Society which is a grassroots organization established and ran by grandmothers on my reservation. Here I got to experience culture, language, and the importance of Tribal governance. I was active in community events and Tribal governance meetings. Recently, I got accepted into the Native Nations Rebuilders Program under Cohort 13. The purpose of this experience is to research community engagement and strengthen my nation. Starting January 1st, 2024, I started my term as a board member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe THPO Advisory Board. As a member of the Tribal Historic Preservation Board, I will help address issues essential to honoring the history and supporting the future of culture for my people.

Bio

My name is Marquel Holiday, I am enrolled in the Yankton Sioux Tribe. I am from Marty, SD and I grew up on my reservation along the Missouri River. I am a mother, eldest daughter, and granddaughter. I enjoy spending time with my family, beading, quilling, running, or reading. I am a senior at Haskell Indian Nations University, and I am studying Indigenous and Native American Studies. My passion has always been the history of my people and how we derive our ways of life from our sacred places. I chose Indigenous and Native American studies because it ties together my interests of history, Tribal political science, economics, Indian law, Indigenous education, and philosophy. I am currently applying at the University of Oregon for the UOTeach program for Social Sciences. I hope to share the significance of Indigenous histories within academics using culturally centered methods, curriculum, and practices. I have a passion to teach history, Tribal governance, Dakota language, Tribal-federal and state government relations, Native American studies, and indigenous centered geography. I also hope to work within my community to promote and share where I can. I want to stress the importance of education, culture, and being a relative within the communities on my reservation. Most importantly, I strive to be a good relative through my family, school, and people.
I am a first-generation college student and the oldest sibling in my family, so I had to find my own opportunities to afford college. Native Forward Scholars Fund has empowered me though giving me financial security to pursue my higher education. Without the funding from scholarships that I receive I would not be where I am today in my academic journey. I have a strong sense of community and I have been welcomed into to an academic community that is encouraging of my educational dreams. I am grateful that I have been a Native Forward scholar, it has given me security in pursuing my education.

Want to be our next Student of the Month? Apply here!