Mikaela Crank
Scholars Program Director
College Horizons (NM)

What drew you to your current position?
As an alumna of College Horizons and Graduate Horizons, I knew that I had come full circle when the position for the new Scholars Pathway Program was offered to me. At the time I was working on the other side of the desk at Stanford University’s Office of Undergraduate Admission. It was an easy decision for me to leave the Bay Area and return to my home of the southwest to pursue CBO work full time. Fast forward eight years later, I have been directing College Horizon’s Scholars Pathway Program (SPP). The SPP is designed to empower American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian College Horizons alumni in their transition from high school to college. The SPP has implemented holistic and Indigenized activities and services. Our goal is to help our alums make their higher education journey relevant by connecting their culture and community to college.

What is your favorite part of the job?
I love working with a small but mighty all-Indigenous team of six (Carmen, Christine, Amelia, Kendall, and Taneya) and providing life-changing summer programs for students across the country. College Horizons is a national college access nonprofit serving American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students and we are celebrating our 26th year. Being able to connect a story to a person and witness the development of our students’ confidence in their pursuit of higher education fills my cup every year.

How has NACAC played a role in your career?
NACAC provides the space for College Horizons and other CBOs to connect and establish partnerships with colleges and high school counseling teams. The networking made possible by NACAC is pivotal for our organization. I attended my first NACAC conference in 2018 in Salt Lake City and presented on the Scholars Pathway Program alongside my colleague Dr. Adrienne Keene and Scholar Malia Simon. It was important to share our research findings and experience with NACAC attendees.

What is one thing you wish more people knew about college access and success?
College access and success is not a one-size-fits-all concept and should be viewed with a holistic lens. College access is contextual across our communities, and it is the educator’s job to learn and understand those nuances to provide access opportunities. College success is not solely about grade point averages and graduation rates, but a student’s resilience and support system. I learned from the Scholars Pathway Program’s mixed methods research approach and evaluation that our College Horizons alums felt that preparation, empowerment, cohort support, and self-resilience increased their success.

When you aren’t working, what do you like to do?
I am very family-oriented and split my time between Arizona and New Mexico. My reservation town of Dennehotso, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation, is my anchor where I can rebalance myself and stay connected to my relatives. Currently, my partner and I farm white corn, blue corn, green chiles, and melons in his Pueblo community of Jemez. The intensive labor of caring for a field provides us with essential life skills and teachings to stay healthy, preserve the land, and continue the cultural practices of our ancestors.

What five words would you use to describe yourself?
Intuitive. Inclusive. Strategic. Mindful. Resilient.

 

Published Sept. 4, 2024