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| Sandra Pratt, Guest Speaker |
On Wednesday, Sandra Pratt came to our classroom as a guest speaker. She is a teacher at Tiospa Zina and also a tribal member and a graduate of Tiospa Zina. She teaches health and theatre. She went to several colleges on her journey to her BA in theatre with a minor in Dakota Studies.
"I really liked being able to come back to Tiospa Zina Tribal School as a teacher to help our own kids, our community, to succeed," she noted.
Sandra shared her story of attending college. She went to several colleges, including Sisseton Wahpeton College here, and another college up in Canada. She graduated from the University of Minnesota: Morris.
When she went to college she had to face many fears.
- Am I smart enough?
- Will I fit in?
- Will I be lonely?
- How will I make it work with my responsibilities as a parent?
- What if I can't read all that is required?
- What if I can 't do this?
Although it was hard, Sandra faced all of these challenging fears and succeeded. She explained that in college, only two things are mandatory:
1. Hard work: You must do your best and work hard.
2. Get your work in on time You will need to get a lot of work done and in on time.
She also told us several things to remember. In college, teachers usually want to help you, but you have to work hard too. It will take a long time, but each year you will be closer to graduation. It is important to have a support system of family and friends who help you keep on going. It's okay to try new things in college. It will be expensive but you will pay back your loans when you work. You will sometimes feel lonely, but everyone does. You can deal with it by making friends, joining in activities, and visiting home sometimes.
When you consider college, here are some things to think about:
- You will need to get good grades (a good GPA) in high school
- You will need to get all your work in on time.
- You should consider colleges that are tuition-free for Native Americans.
- You should apply for scholarships. They don't have to be paid back.
- You can get loans. You have to pay back loans. You should pay them back as soon as you can by paying a little from each paycheck.
- Loans can cover tuition, but also fees, book costs, and even living expenses during college.
Sandra also talked about the Dakota values that are important for college success. Waditake, bravery, is important because you will need to learn how to acknowledge your fears about things but then do them anyway. It might be scary to join a club, but that is how you can find new friends. Everyone there is new, so even though it is scary to meet new people, everyone is looking for new friends. It isn't easy making new friends if you are a shy person (as Sandra was) but if you feel good energy coming from them, go talk to them. Everyone is looking for a friend.
