Where Belonging Begins: Higher Education Students Lead the University's Native Student Program
In October 2022, after nearly 33 years at Íø±¬ÃÅ, Regina A. Jones ’07 retired as director of the University’s Native Student Program. She launched the program in 2006 along with Stephanie Waterman ’83, G’04, while simultaneously studying for a bachelor’s degree in child and family studies from the
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The program remains in good hands.
Bailey Tlachac G’23 recently took the reins as program coordinator, also while completing a master’s in the School of Education’s . Tlachac, Oneida Bear Clan from Wisconsin, previously served as the program’s graduate assistant, a role now filled by another higher education graduate student, Nicole Smoke ’17, G’24, Mohawk Wolf Clan from Akwesasne, on the New York-Ontario border. We sat down with Tlachac and Smoke to discuss their roles, the School of Education’s M.S. in higher education, and their experiences on campus as Native students.
