Amelia C. Warden | Blot
Out of Lapwai’s 2012 graduating class of 32, Marijuana “Mary” James is one of four who are currently enrolled in college.
“I’m a whole different person because of college,” James said. “It’s taught me so many different things and I consider myself really lucky and thankful.”
James is a junior at the University of Idaho studying Journalism and Women’s Studies.
James hadn’t applied to any colleges until she received the Gates Millennium Scholarship, a good-through-graduation scholarship awarded to 1,500 students to use at any U.S. based, accredited college or university. Without the scholarship, she wouldn’t have been able to afford a higher education. She was one of 24,000 who applied in 2012.
“My reaction was ‘woah, I’m actually going to college, this is it,'” James said.
James said she is grateful to her mother, Ingrid Lawyer, for pushing her to apply for scholarships and graduate high school.
James was born on the Yakima Reservation in Washington and was put up for adoption when she was 3 months old. James and her oldest sister were separated from their two other siblings and moved around foster homes.
They stayed in foster homes until Lawyer, a German native who lived in Lapwai, on the Nez Perce Reservation, adopted the duo.
“College is the only way for Mary to get out of this situation, to get outside of where she grew up and get to know the world,” Lawyer said, “There is a huge world out there. I want Mary to grasp it, every bit of it.”
UI’s American Indian or Alaska Native enrollment decreased by 12.8 percent last year and 46.4 percent within the last five years, according to UI’s Institutional Research & Assessment enrollment data.
Lindsey Schneider, program coordinator for the Native American Student Center, suggested the lack of Native American enrollment could be due to a combination of factors, but said the largest cause is likely financial issues.
“There’s a perception that Native Americans just get money from the government automatically or college is free for them, which is definitely not true,” Schneider said.
Schneider said she thinks Native American students are held back from higher education due to cultural expectations.
“If your parents didn’t go to college, there won’t necessarily be that family culture of ‘this is what’s expected of you,’ so you’re not thinking about it as much. Whereas if your parents went to college, it’s more likely that you’re going to go because you’re raised thinking that’s the expectation,” Schneider said.
James said although there are many students in Lapwai who wish to pursue a higher level of education, Native American college attendance rates are low because students choose to go into the army, work or start a family.
“I think that motivation comes from the people around them, and if there’s not that much hope around them, how can they build hope?” Lawyer said.
Within a tribe, Native Americans are taught many cultural traditions. James said when on the reservation she enjoys praying, attending powwows, huckleberry picking, fishing and spending time outside.
She said it’s difficult to leave for college and set her culture aside. She described it as living two separate lives, one at UI where she participates in her sorority — Delta Delta Delta — the Native American Student Center and academics, versus her life in Lapwai with her family and traditions.
“There were times where I just wanted to go home and give up, because I miss my family so much,” James said. “But my mom reminded me that once I’m out of college, all of that stuff will still be there. My cultural ties aren’t just going to disappear.”
James is the first of her biological family to attend college. After her sister saw James’ college success, she decided to get her Clinical Nursing Assistant’s license. James hopes to be a role model and motivate her younger brother to attend college as well. She said students who skip class and don’t put effort into academics are taking college for granted.
“I remind myself that not everybody is as lucky as I am. There are so many people who would love to go to school but who can’t afford it, or deserve to come to school but are put in a situation where they can’t,” James said.
But James is not wasting any time at UI. She recently broke her shoulder blade in an ATV accident and was advised to take a semester off for medical leave by psychologists and doctors. She refused and instead pushed through her classes, despite her injury.
For James, the most rewarding part of her college experience has been motivating others from Lapwai to attend college. She hopes to attend graduate school in Hawaii and write about environmental and cultural issues someday.
“Even though I am Native American, every race and every age, every culture, different religion and values, white and black people, everybody will face struggles — not just Native Americans,” James said.