Aaniiih Nakoda's Campus Corps Leader Ali Graham

I am proud to introduce Campus Corps leader Alison Graham, better known as Ali, who has been paving the way in creating a culture of service within the community on the Fort Belknap Reservation.  Ali serves as the college's first ever Campus Corps leader and was lucky enough to be  a part of the campus community this past fall when it underwent its monumental name change from Fort Belknap College to the self-proclaimed traditional title of "Aaniiih Nakoda College". The renaming officially took place in September of 2011 and marked the culmination of the efforts of many to make this long awaited vision finally become a reality.

Ali seems to have acclimated to life in the small town of Chinook, MT with remarkable ease, which certainly serves as a testament to the adaptability of this “go-with-the-flow" southern girl. Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Ali left home for college and has spent the past four years living in the Midwest enrolled as a student at Saint Louis University where she majored in Psychology.  Ali intends to incorporate the knowledge and wisdom gained from this field of study in her pursuit of a career as a licensed social worker.

When speaking with Ali about her college years, she cites that some of her fondest memories are from her involvement with the Campus Kitchen program: a non-profit food re-purposing program that utilizes excess food from grocery stores, catering services, and other organizations to create healthy meals for hungry individuals living nearby the campus.  Ali especially enjoyed her role in involving the members of local youth groups in this admirable program.

Some fun facts about Ali are that she enjoys reading, cooking, taking pictures, and baking in her spare time. Her favorite holiday by far is Thanksgiving and fittingly enough her favorite food is mashed potatoes. She has embraced living amongst a community of people who so strongly identify with the rich cultural heritage that they have worked so hard to preserve. In fact, one of the projects she is most looking forward to this spring is organizing a series of cultural events in partnership with Aaniih Nakoda students that will celebrate and share their rich cultural heritage.