Several professionals offered tips on succeeding in college at the Destination College 2012 workshop at the Gitchi Onigaming Community Center in Grand Portage on March 7. (L-R) ISD 166 School Counselor Bryan Hackbarth, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Director of Education Haley Brickner, Cook County Higher Education Director of Education Kirstin van den Berg, Bemidji State University American Indian Resource Center Outreach Liaison Lara Gerhardson, and Grand Portage State Park Naturalist Anna Deschampe.
“I loved college and thought that it gave me a lot of applicable skills that I’ve taken with me.” That was the positive attitude Grand Portage State Park Naturalist Anna Deschampe conveyed at a workshop called Destination College 2012 at the Gitchi Onigaming Community Center in Grand Portage on March 7. Sponsored by Cook County Higher Education, this was one of three such workshops presented in Cook County in March.
Having a college education, Deschampe said, has given her the ability to choose where she wants to live because it opened up job opportunities. Deschampe has used her education well, moving into her current position after being the director of education for the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. She learned a lot at college, but it wasn’t all from lectures and books.
After graduating from Cook County High School, Deschampe said, she went off to the University of Minnesota- Duluth (UMD) in the fall of 2000. It was not a good fit, however, and after one semester, she came home to Grand Portage. Her parents accepted her decision, telling her that leaving college was up to her since she was an adult, but they told her they would not allow her to live with them and they would not be giving her any money. She spent the spring searching for another college.
Deschampe ended up at St. Olaf College in Northfield, graduating with honors with a degree in sociology and anthropology.
Colleges look for people who have learned through life experiences as well as people who have scholastic aptitude, Deschampe said.
Finding a program that is going to work for you and planning ahead—getting financial aid, housing, and transportation in place—are vital, she said. “It’s absolutely manageable, but you need to plan for it.”
Deschampe visited numerous colleges after she left UMD. How did she know which school would be a good fit?
Everyone has his or her own reasons for attending one college over another, she said, but for her, it was St. Olaf ’s sense of community, the interactions between professors and students, student organizations, and natural beauty around the campus. “I needed to find a complete environment where I could feel at peace and focus on my education,” she said. By living on campus, she did not have to worry about things like getting to class, having cash for food, or shoveling snow.
College is becoming easier for more people, with online, night, and weekend options that are especially helpful for people already out in the work world. Make sure you are ready for college when you start, Deschampe said, with your living situation and finances in place so that you are ready to make the investment of time and energy.
Deschampe said she enjoyed the opportunity to meet people who were different from her when she was away at college. “I looked at it as a challenge and an opportunity to get to know people who didn’t necessarily have the same world view,” she said.
St. Olaf offered a variety of experiences which Deschampe took advantage of, such as a work study position in the Sociology/Anthropology Department. “It gave me connections,” she said. “Capitalize on opportunities. If there is an internship available, go for it. If there is a work study program, go for it.”
Deschampe later told the News- Herald, “I also went to Australia/New Zealand along with 20-some of my classmates and a professor to complete a month-long course, Indigenous Peoples of Australia and New Zealand. This is another example of opportunity.”
Learning how to make connections with other people is especially important for college students whose families did not have that experience.
College gives you self-confidence, Deschampe said, and it helps you find out what you’re good at. “Absolutely nobody in this world can ever take your education from you,” she said. “You’ve earned it and it’s yours forever.”
Advice from school counselor
Cook County High School Counselor Bryan Hackbarth had his own set of career tips. Before deciding on college in the first place, he said, you need to find out if college will get you the job you want or if some other type of education or experience would be better.
Once you know what kind of education you need, it’s “really important” to visit various schools, Hackbarth said. Attend some classes, stay overnight on campus, talk to a variety of people on campus, and check out the surrounding area, he said.
“Be picky,” Hackbarth advised. “Check it out. It’s your money and your time. You’re the customer. …You’ll know when it’s right.”
Help from Higher Ed
Cook County Higher Education Director of Education Kirstin van den Berg outlined numerous services her organization offers for people who are out of high school and don’t know what they want to do, what they might be good at, what jobs will be available in the future, and how much those jobs pay. They also help people build academic skills that will help them succeed in college.
A lot of people start pursuing a degree from a community college and then transfer to a community college, which can be a cheaper option.
Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be vital to affording to attend college. You never know what kind of financial aid you might get, van den Berg said, and financial aid is available for students taking as few as six credits at a time.
North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Manitoba have reciprocity agreements with Minnesota, said Grand Portage Band of Chippewa Director of Education Haley Brickner, lowering the cost significantly from what students coming from other places must pay.
Resources for Native American students
Lara Gerhardson, Bemidji State University American Indian Resource Center Outreach Liaison, was on hand with resources for Native Americans. Filling out the FAFSA will help determine the kinds of financial aid available, but applying to the Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program will open up further opportunities, she said. Local tribes also offer scholarships.
Information and website links can be found at www.getreadyforcollege.org/indianscholarship.
Tips from Anna Deschampe:
Make sure your college is accredited by a widely accepted accrediting authority.
Find out what credits will or will not transfer if you are planning to switch from one college or university to another.
Use career planning and academic readiness services that are available, such as programs that help you overcome barriers such as math or writing deficits.
Don’t take out student loans unless you really need to. Having to start repaying student loans six months after graduation doesn’t give you much time to get started with a job and a career.
Classes take a lot of reading and homework, but you need to take time to take care of yourself as well.
Local
Kirstin van den Berg
Cook County Higher Education
Director of Education
(218) 387-341
kvandenberg@northshorecampus.org
Haley Brickner
Grand Portage Band of Chippewa
Director of Education
(218) 475-2812
haleyb@grandportage.com
Lena Santos
Grand Portage Band of Chippewa
Native American Student Advisor
(218) 387-2271, ext. 607
lsantos@isd166.k12.mn.us.
Bryan Hackbarth
Cook County High School Counselor
(218)387-2271, ext. 608
bhackbarth@isd166.k12.mn.us.
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