Aaniiih Nakoda College celebrates commencement tonight

Aaniih Nakoda College on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation is holding its 30th Commencement Ceremony this evening with 41 students scheduled to graduate with degrees in fields ranging from business to carpentry, including two in the college's new associate degree in nursing.

The ceremony starts at 5:30 p.m. in the Harlem High School gymnasium with a feed following the ceremony.

Sharen Kickingwoman is the commencement speaker.

She is a member of the Aaniiihnen and Blackfeet tribes, her Blackfeet name is Siks Awakasi Akii, Black Tail Deer Woman and Soo ksistsi Koo Akii, Cloud Woman, a release from the college said.

Kickingwoman holds both her bachelor's and master's degrees from Stanford University, where she studied Native education and policy.

She works as a legislative assistant handling Indian affairs issues for U.S. Sen. Jon Tester in Washington.

During her time at Stanford she studied in South Africa and Costa Rica, and served as a White House intern under President Barack Obama.

Kickingwoman held many leadership positions within the Stanford community, working as a program assistant, on a social justice task force and chairing the Stanford Powwow. She is a Gates Millennium Scholar, received the Stanford Award of Excellence for being in the top 10 percent of her class and was named the Montana Indian Education College Student of the Year in 2017.

Kickingwoman is an advocate for youth and her favorite experiences come from working directly with youth, the release said. During her undergraduate years, she worked with first-generation, low-income, and minority students assisting with access to higher education through free college counseling and mentorship.

She also served as an Upward Bound counselor at the University of Montana, working directly with students through mentorship and college-readiness. Kickingwoman said she is inspired by all those who have come before her and have mentored her along the way.