Denver, Colo., Oct. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Three Native women from the president, professor, and student space have come together to share their experiences in a book detailing how Native women find place in higher education. The contributors include Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund and former President of Northwest Indian College who has held many roles at Sinte Gleska University, both tribal colleges and universities; Erin Griffin (Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota), a former College Fund employee, former Sisseton Wahpeton College faculty member and Director of Dakota Studies, and current South Dakota State University assistant professor who considers herself to be a lifelong learner of the Dakota language expert; and Natasha Goldtooth (Diné), a student at Diné College and an American Indian College Fund Indigenous Visionary Fellow. The book, Indigenous Voices of Girls and Women in Educational Spaces: Celebrating Presence, was edited by Stephanie Masta and was published by Routledge Press.
The women share how the roles and experiences of Native women contribute to the tribally controlled college movement and the importance of being rooted in kinship and place with relation to the land. Their work explores the many roles women have in this environment as mentors and sister relatives using ancestral teachings; how naming restoration has revitalized Native women’s roles; Indigenizing education and social spaces; and how sharing ancestral knowledge using storytelling creates prosperity in Native communities. All information is shared from a first-person point of view from their varying perspectives. The book is part of a series published by Routledge which brings together the central concerns of Indigenous and decolonizing studies with the innovative contributions of social justice education.
President Crazy Bull shared, “I am proud of Erin and Natasha for sharing their deeply personal experiences with their tribal colleges. As community and family-based institutions, TCUs provide a sanctuary for students to fully experience themselves, to learn, and to build their knowledge. We are appreciative of this opportunity to share those experiences more broadly through this chapter.”
Erin Griffin said, “I am thankful for the time and space I was able to share with Cheryl and Natasha working on this chapter. The women in our communities often find themselves in leadership roles, not out of pursuit of title or status, but because we love our families and our people. The opportunity for Native women to share their stories is key to developing communities that support women and the hard work they do; always with a vision for a healthy future built from Dakota wowicohan—our ways of life.”
Natasha Goldtooth said, “Ahe’hee (thank you) to my mentors Cheryl Crazy Bull and Erin Griffin for guiding and helping bring our stories to life and to light. With their support, my story gives a small glimpse of how it’s important not to overlook students like me. The leadership role found us, not that we wanted it… our character and commitments reflected our light to those who believed in us then and now. I hope we take small positive strides together, for a better future for the next generations to come and for Native Women in educational spaces.”
You can visit Routledge Press to order a copy of the book.
About the American Indian College Fund — The American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 34 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer” and provided $17.4 million in scholarships and other direct student support to American Indian students in 2023-24. Since its founding in 1989 the College Fund has provided more than $319 million in scholarships, programs, community, and tribal college support. The College Fund also supports a variety of academic and support programs at the nation’s 34 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators and is one of the nation’s top 100 charities named to the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance and is a Charity Navigator four-star charity. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org
Journalists—The American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use the College Fund.
- Indigenous Voices of Girls and Women in Educational Spaces