AIHEC Student Conference Summary

Mar 17

March 4 - 8, 2023

The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) student conference celebrated its 50th anniversary in Albuquerque, New Mexico. With 38 Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) in attendance, it has grown to a function in advocacy and an opportunity to gather to share the stories of the Tribal College Movement. This year, LCOOU returned to AIHEC and made new connections with students and faculty from other TCUs. In addition to this, students registered to compete in various competitions.

Archery - Andreanna Acosta and Gabriel LeBlang – Coach Deanna Rivers and Daryl Coons.

Art (Individual competition) - Kristy Baccam (2nd place Traditional Art), Elexia Saari, Gabriel LeBlang – Coach Deanna Rivers.

Business Bowl – Lisa Schuman, Jamie Fleming, Christine Haling and Charlene Theobald – Coach Stephanie St. Germaine and Kalianna Quaderer.

Knowledge Bowl - Andreanna Acosta and Marissa Johnson – Coach Mary Revoy Lopez.

Science Poster Presentation (Individual competition) - Roberto Pacheco – Coach Mike Heim.

Speech (Individual competition) - Elexia Saari – Coach Kalianna Quaderer and Kim Paulson.

Traditional Plants (Individual competition) - Roberto Pacheco, Charlene Theobald and Gabriel LeBlang (2nd place) - Coach Mike Heim.

TCU Journal (Individual competition) - Tim Barber and Andreanna Acosta – Coach Mary Revoy Lopez.

Andreanna Acosta is a first-year student at LCOOU, majoring in Liberal Arts. She competed in Archery, the Tribal College Journal writing contest, and the knowledge bowl. Here’s what she shared about her experience:

“Being surrounded by Indigenous people from across Turtle Island was an enriching experience for me! I got to learn about different aboriginal cultures and learn how similar we are, even being thousands of miles away. There were so many students from other TCUs that my team competed against, and we all brought something new to the table. I gained new knowledge and skills in sportsmanship, collaboration, and critical thinking. At times, I felt a little defeated. So, I reminded myself that this is my first attempt in learning, and I need to be kind to myself because I will always need room to grow. Even though the experience challenged me, I would do it again in a heartbeat!”