Denver, Colo., Nov. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — According to Chenoa Webster (Oneida), an American Indian College Fund student ambassador, in her culture Thanksgiving isn’t just a day—it’s a way.
Gratitude is woven into Indigenous life and is expressed through work and relationships with family, community, land, all living creatures, the Creator, and even oneself.
Webster is a student ambassador and Native scholar who will graduate in the spring of 2026 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary and middle school education from the College of Menominee Nation, a tribal college in Wisconsin. She shares the Haudenshaunee (Iroquois Nation) lifeway Tsi>niyukwaliho=t^ (the Good Mind) includes elements of gratitude in every part of an individual’s life. They comprise paths to cultivate and be thankful for the heartfelt encouragement of the best in each of us; compassion, caring, identity, and joy of being; the openness of the good spirit and mind; the strength of belief and vision as a people; the use of good words about ourselves, our Nation, and our future; the concept that all of us are family; and recognizing the fire, our spirit within each one of us.
Webster is a rising leader who uses the education and opportunities she has enjoyed along the way to give back to her community. She has traveled to Indigenous communities in Sápmi (the cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sámi people in the northern areas of Fennoscandia, stretching across Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia) and Utqiagvik, Alaska to learn more about other Indigenous communities. She has held various student leadership positions at the College of Menominee Nation and was chosen Student of the Year in 2023-24. She also placed second in the American Indian Higher Education Consortium’s USAID International Development Challenge that same year. She helps her home community and the American Indian College Fund to raise awareness and understanding of American Indians and Alaska Natives and cultures.
Webster represents the College Fund in media interviews, at cultural events, in her community, and on campus. She also attends the College Fund’s Board of Trustees meetings as a student ambassador representative. She is engaged in public speaking, interviews, writing, and posting on social media to speak on issues impacting Native communities.
Driven by the gratitude for the opportunities her tribal college education has provided, Webster shares, “I needed to go to school to be that role model, not only for my daughters, but for the other children in the community that look up to me.” Webster’s educational journey demonstrates that gratitude is a way of life and a feeling that has the power to strengthen communities and uplift future generations.
To arrange an interview with Chenoa Webster or the American Indian College Fund representative, please contact Dina Horwedel at [email protected] or 303-430-5350 (direct line).
About the American Indian College Fund — The American Indian College Fund is the nation’s largest charity and has supported Native higher education for 35 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer” and provided more than $23 million in scholarships and other student support for higher education in 2024-25. Since its founding in 1989 the College Fund has provided more than $391 million in scholarships, programs, community, and tribal college support. The College Fund also supports a variety of programs at the nation’s 34 accredited tribal colleges and universities located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators. It earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid (formerly Guidestar), and the “Best in America Seal of Excellence” from the Independent Charities of America. The College Fund was also named as one of the nation’s top 100 charities to the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit collegefund.org.
Journalists—The American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use the College Fund.
- Chenoa Webster
- The Good Mind Principles