NEWS :: Red Cloud Indian School

Student advancement and alumni support position aids Red Cloud graduates with life after high school
posted on August 10, 2009

When Tashina Banks read the job description, she knew it was the perfect position for her. Months ago, from her home in New Mexico, Banks learned that Red Cloud Indian School was hiring a Director of Student Advancement and Alumni Relations, a person who would support high school students both during their years at the school, and continue that relationship when they go to college.

“It’s absolutely brilliant,” Banks says. “for Red Cloud to provide a support network, and community, for Native American students after they’ve left the doors of the school—that’s unheard of.”

And Banks knows. A Lakota and Ojibwa woman with familial ties to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, she’s seen firsthand both the challenges and the success that Native American students experience throughout their college careers. Her most recent position was as the Director of Financial Aid for the New Mexico Higher Education Department where she has worked under New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson’s administration for three years. Prior to that gubernatorial appointment, she worked in education for several years beginning at the Native American Preparatory School, University of New Mexico, and the liberal arts college St. John’s College in Santa Fe
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“It’s a cultural shock for so many Native students, I know this from personal experience—not only are they away from their family and close friends, but the living environment is so different than what we’re accustomed to,” she says. “It can take students, no matter where they come from, a considerable amount of time to adjust. To provide a support network for our students is, frankly, quite special and unique.”

Banks has spent much of her life adjusting to new environments having grown up with politically active parents has given her the opportunity to live in a variety of regions around the country. Both her parents have transitioned into entrepreneurs, her father owns a wild rice and maple syrup exporting business, and her mother and stepfather own the Subway restaurant in Pine Ridge, both of which she has been involved in supporting.

“I’ve grown up watching my parents follow their dreams,” she says. “I understand what it is to go after something that might seem out of reach, and I’m looking forward in sharing more of those experiences with Red Cloud’s students.”

In the coming months, Red Cloud students and alumni can anticipate hearing from Banks, in person, through social media networks such as Facebook and MySpace and Red Cloud’s school website.

“We are thrilled that Tashina has accepted this position, and look forward to the energy and excitement that she is already bringing to the institution,” says Nick Dressel, Red Cloud High School principal. “I can’t wait to see what she does to support our current students and alumni.”

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