About
Student Stories
Every gift you make writes a new chapter in a child’s life.
The children of St. Joseph’s Indian School come from communities that have faced generations of hardship, yet every day on our campus, we witness resilience, joy and an unquenchable spirit. Our student stories capture real moments: a child conquering fear in the classroom, a young dancer finding pride in their heritage, an alumnus returning to give back. These are the stories your support makes possible.
Makaia Makes History as Homecoming Queen
Queen Makaia and Native American Studies teacher LaRayne smile for a photo during Chamberlain’s Homecoming parade. To some, it might just be a crown. To the St. Joseph’s Indian School community, it’s a place in school …
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Introducing the 2026 Powwow Royalty of St. Joseph’s Indian School
Introducing the 2026 Powwow Royalty of St. Joseph’s Indian School The drums hadn’t even started yet, but the Rec Center was already buzzing. It was the kind of excited, can’t‑sit‑still energy that only happens when students …
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Embracing Life at St. Joseph’s: Zukai’s Story
Embracing Life at St. Joseph’s: Zukai’s Story Even as a new student, Zukai proudly danced and sang at St. Joseph’s 49th Annual Powwow. Spend just a few minutes with seventh grader Zukai, and it might be …
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St. Joseph’s Students Explore Faith and Future at Notre Dame
Some moments help students see a wider horizon than they knew existed. For four St. Joseph’s Indian School middle schoolers, stepping onto the University of Notre Dame campus became one of those moments — a chance …
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Senior Suitcase: St. Joseph’s Graduates Shop for the Future
“I am in line to check out everything for my future right now,” Delante said as he looked down at a shopping cart piled high with essentials for adulthood.
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Students Explore Faith, Service and Discovery at Summer Institute
Some journeys shape students long before they return home. For four St. Joseph’s Indian School students, a week in Milwaukee, Wisc., became more than a trip. It became a chance to see themselves as part of …
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Stepping Up: St. Joseph’s Indian School Student Finds His Voice as a Leader
One evening at the Rec Center, Bryan, St. Joseph’s Indian School’s Athletic Director, found himself short a basketball referee. The game was about to begin, and he needed someone dependable who could step in quickly. Kansas, …
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St. Joseph’s Graduate Earns $10,000 Scholarship
Meet Mersayis, an extraordinary young woman whose resilience, compassion and dedication have earned her the prestigious Dr. Henry C. Mueller Scholarship, awarding her $10,000 toward her dreams of becoming a nurse. Growing up in the foster …
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St. Joseph’s Student Shoots for the Stars … Literally
At St. Joseph’s Indian School, every student has a story. Some stories are rooted in athletics, others in overcoming challenges, and some, like Marybella’s, are destined for the stars. Marybella, a bright and determined high school …
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Neleigh
Neleigh is a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. Neleigh’s favorite school memory is when she threw woodchips at her classmate, Na’Taye. Her favorite memory in the home was when Tara (her houseparent) went to …
Neleigh
Neleigh is a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. Neleigh’s favorite school memory is when she threw woodchips at her classmate, Na’Taye. Her favorite memory in the home was when Tara (her houseparent) went to scare Loren as a joke. Neleigh plans on going to high school after 8th grade graduation. When she grows up, Neleigh wants to be a cosmetologist or a detective like Lieutenant Benson from Law and Order!
Angelina
Angelina is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, the Sicangu Lakota. Angelina’s favorite memory of school was when her class went outside for PE and the slides were wet, so they all slid down them …
Angelina
Angelina is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, the Sicangu Lakota. Angelina’s favorite memory of school was when her class went outside for PE and the slides were wet, so they all slid down them and ended up with soaking pants. Her favorite home memory was when she and LC ran around outside laughing really hard until they couldn’t run anymore. Angelina plans on coming back to St. Joseph’s for her freshman year and joining the basketball and volleyball teams at Chamberlain High School. She wants to be an artist when she grows up!
Landon
Landon is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Landon’s favorite memory of school was the cultural trip. His favorite home memories include the Halloween celebrations! Landon plans to stay at St. Joseph’s for …
Landon
Landon is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Landon’s favorite memory of school was the cultural trip. His favorite home memories include the Halloween celebrations! Landon plans to stay at St. Joseph’s for the high school program after 8th grade graduation. He wants to attend college and begin a career when he grows up!
Lars
Lars is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Lars’ favorite school memory is the cultural trip. His favorite memory in the home is the home trip with houseparents Odis and Brett. They stayed in …
Lars
Lars is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Lars’ favorite school memory is the cultural trip. His favorite memory in the home is the home trip with houseparents Odis and Brett. They stayed in cabins and Odis told scary stories. Lars plans to attend the St. Joseph’s high school program after 8th grade graduation. He wants to possibly be a welder when he grows up!
Kenyon
Kenyon is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Kenyon’s favorite memory of school is the cultural trip — especially hiking Bear Butte. His favorite home memory is hanging out with friends in his home. Kenyon …
Kenyon
Kenyon is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Kenyon’s favorite memory of school is the cultural trip — especially hiking Bear Butte. His favorite home memory is hanging out with friends in his home. Kenyon plans to attend the St. Joseph’s high school program after 8th grade graduation. He would like to play professional basketball when he grows up!
DeVarrell
DeVarrell is a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. DeVarrell’s favorite class was Math. His favorite memories in the home are going on home trips with his houseparents Odis and Theresa and when he and …
DeVarrell
DeVarrell is a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. DeVarrell’s favorite class was Math. His favorite memories in the home are going on home trips with his houseparents Odis and Theresa and when he and his friends rode around on their bikes! When he grows up, DeVarrell would like to be a welder.
Aiden
Aiden is a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. Aiden’s favorite school memory is of the cultural trip and having the best laughs with his friends. His favorite memory in the home is having fun …
Aiden
Aiden is a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. Aiden’s favorite school memory is of the cultural trip and having the best laughs with his friends. His favorite memory in the home is having fun at an indoor water park on a home trip. Aiden plans on returning to St. Joseph’s for the high school program after graduating 8th grade. He wants to be a professional basketball player when he grows up!
Jacob
Jacob is a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. Jacob’s favorite memory of school was the cultural trip. His favorite home memory was when his home travelled to Niobrara for a home trip. Jacob plans …
Jacob
Jacob is a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. Jacob’s favorite memory of school was the cultural trip. His favorite home memory was when his home travelled to Niobrara for a home trip. Jacob plans to go to high school in Chamberlain or a nearby town after 8th grade graduation. He wants to join the NBA when he grows up!
William
William is a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. William’s favorite school memory is a time at lunch when Aiden, his classmate, got milk on himself. William plans on going to high school and college …
William
William is a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. William’s favorite school memory is a time at lunch when Aiden, his classmate, got milk on himself. William plans on going to high school and college after graduating 8th grade. When he grows up, he wants to be a rancher or a “teeth fixer”!
Richard
Richard is a member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. Richard’s favorite memory of school was being the volleyball team manager! His favorite home memory is going tubing in the snow at Great Bear in Sioux …
Richard
Richard is a member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. Richard’s favorite memory of school was being the volleyball team manager! His favorite home memory is going tubing in the snow at Great Bear in Sioux Falls, SD. Richard plans on attending Chamberlain High School after 8th grade graduation. He is still exploring his options for future careers!
Loren
Loren is a member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. Loren’s favorite school memory was the cultural trip because the basement of the cabin where the boys stayed was fun. His favorite memory in the home …
Loren
Loren is a member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. Loren’s favorite school memory was the cultural trip because the basement of the cabin where the boys stayed was fun. His favorite memory in the home was hanging out with his housemates over the past two years. Loren plans to attend the St. Joseph’s high school program after 8th grade graduation. He would like to be an electrician or serve in the military when he grows up!
Brianna
Brianna is a member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. Brianna’s favorite memory of school was in 7th grade just before Spring Break. Mr. Baldwin was on his computer (taking online CPR) and Jacob asked him …
Brianna
Brianna is a member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. Brianna’s favorite memory of school was in 7th grade just before Spring Break. Mr. Baldwin was on his computer (taking online CPR) and Jacob asked him what he was doing. He said, “Tryna save your life, THAT’S WHAT I’M DOIN’! Come here.” Jake and Aiden went up to Dave, but when he told them to lay down to demonstrate CPR they made funny faces and ran away. Her favorite home memory was the snowball fight with another home, and the snow was so wet his jacket and clothes were soaked. Brianna plans to attend high school after 8th grade graduation. She wants to be a zoologist to help monkeys, elephants, and tigers, or she wants to be a supervisory special agent for the FBI when she grows up!
Leslie
Leslie is a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. Leslie will always remember Sarah (her teacher) having to match every day in school as her favorite school memory. Her favorite memories in the home were …
Leslie
Leslie is a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. Leslie will always remember Sarah (her teacher) having to match every day in school as her favorite school memory. Her favorite memories in the home were when her home went to the State Fair and to the movies. Leslie plans to attend the St. Joseph’s high school program after 8th grade graduation. She is still exploring ideas for her future plans after high school!
Mersayis
Mersayis is a member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe. Mersayis’ favorite school memory is being in Bobbi’s classroom and laughing and making memories. Another favorite was when they went on the cultural trip. They hiked Black …
Mersayis
Mersayis is a member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe. Mersayis’ favorite school memory is being in Bobbi’s classroom and laughing and making memories. Another favorite was when they went on the cultural trip. They hiked Black Elk Peak. Mersayis’ favorite home memory was when they went on their home trip to Rapid City. It was her favorite because she was surrounded by the people she felt closest to. Mersayis would like to attend Chamberlain High School (as part of the St. Joseph’s high school program), get good grades and graduate. She would like to be a pediatric nurse or neonatal nurse when she grows up!
Andrew
My name is Andrew, but most people call me Andy. I’ve been at St. Joseph’s since sixth grade. While I was a student at St. Joe’s, I was involved in football for a year, basketball for …
Andrew
My name is Andrew, but most people call me Andy. I’ve been at St. Joseph’s since sixth grade. While I was a student at St. Joe’s, I was involved in football for a year, basketball for a year, softball for seventh and eighth grade, and archery since seventh grade. In high school, I participated in wrestling for one year. One of my favorite memories is playing hide-and-seek and “Chupacabra” in the Cyr Home. I want to thank all of my houseparents, counselors and teachers from St. Joe’s to high school. My plan for next year is continue being a certified nursing assistant. My advice for younger students is the thing everyone says — do your work even if it’s boring, and pay attention because it’s going to be hard to get caught back up.
ShyAnne
Hi, my name is ShyAnne. I have attended St. Joseph’s Indian School since seventh grade. During middle school, I participated in volleyball, basketball, softball, and archery. In high school, I participated in volleyball for four years …
ShyAnne
Hi, my name is ShyAnne. I have attended St. Joseph’s Indian School since seventh grade. During middle school, I participated in volleyball, basketball, softball, and archery. In high school, I participated in volleyball for four years and basketball for two years. I have a lot of favorite memories with a lot of people, places, and things, but the most important would be placing first in archery at the Dakota Oyate Challenge and taking the Minnesota home trip. I would like to say thank you to all of the St. Joe’s staff and my houseparents who have helped me with all I have been through. I would also thank my godparents for everything they did for me, and for loving me as their own. My plan for next year is to continue working as a certified nursing assistant. My advice for younger students is to keep going and don’t give up. You will have obstacles that will be challenging, but don’t ever stop.
Joaquin
My name is Joaquin. I have attended St. Joe’s for about eight years. While attending St. Joe’s, I played basketball, football, softball, some bowling, and archery. My favorite memory is when I made associates with my …
Joaquin
My name is Joaquin. I have attended St. Joe’s for about eight years. While attending St. Joe’s, I played basketball, football, softball, some bowling, and archery. My favorite memory is when I made associates with my friends at St. Joe’s. I would like to thank my houseparents. I plan to join the Army National Guard. My advice would have to be: just be yourself, dude. Be your own dude, and don’t fall into bad influence.
Marques
Hi, my name is Marques. I have been at St. Joe’s for eight years. One of my favorite memories has to be when we always played hacky sack with the boys freshman year. I would like …
Marques
Hi, my name is Marques. I have been at St. Joe’s for eight years. One of my favorite memories has to be when we always played hacky sack with the boys freshman year. I would like to thank all of my houseparents, counselors and anyone else who pushed me to finish school. My plans for next year are to do welding at Mitchell Technical College. My advice I would give to younger students would be to be yourself no matter what others think of you. I’m not saying you should be more outgoing and go outside your comfort zone, but just be yourself.
Jeren
My name is Jeren. I have been at St. Joe’s since first grade, so a whopping 12 years. I participated in football, basketball, and track in middle school. In high school, I participated in football and …
Jeren
My name is Jeren. I have been at St. Joe’s since first grade, so a whopping 12 years. I participated in football, basketball, and track in middle school. In high school, I participated in football and basketball. My favorite memory at St. Joe’s was definitely not cutting my head open on the monkey bars in the second grade — it was actually participating in a donor luncheon in Los Angeles with Tayeden and Colton my freshman year; the trip was such a fun experience. Plus, we went to a Lakers game and they won. I can officially say I was in the same arena as LeBron James. I would like to thank all of my family, friends, and counselors. I would also like to thank my houseparents throughout the years. I would also like to thank my teachers for helping me actually enjoy school. My plan next year is to attend Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado for business administration. My advice for younger students is do not be afraid to try new things, and put full effort into the activity you want to do. Enjoy high school to the fullest, trust me.
Josette
Hi, my name is Josette. My Lakota name is Waȟčá Číkʼala Wíŋ, which translates to “Little Flower Woman.” I’ve attended St. Joe’s since the fourth grade. I’ve participated in many activities throughout my years here. I’ve …
Josette
Hi, my name is Josette. My Lakota name is Waȟčá Číkʼala Wíŋ, which translates to “Little Flower Woman.” I’ve attended St. Joe’s since the fourth grade. I’ve participated in many activities throughout my years here. I’ve been in clubs such as the Native American Club, Junior Beta Club, and National Honor Society. I’ve also contributed to various sports such as cross country, volleyball, basketball, cheer, and track. I even dance at many powwows and have held many titles as royalty. It’s hard for me to pick just one favorite memory. I’ve had so much fun and have made so many. Some I remember are my seventh grade cultural trip; it was cool get out of school and learn more about myself as a person, culturally. Also, honorable mention, was the time spent with my eighth grade class — we were so close. Graduation was a highlight that year as well. My time here has been the best and I have met so many close friends I will forever cherish. I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone who has been in my life and contributed to help me become the person I am today. There are a lot of people to thank, and I feel they should know who they are. Also, most importantly, I would like to thank my family – especially my siblings – for pushing me to become a better role model and showing them that they can do anything regardless of what obstacles they may face. My plans for this fall are to attend the University of South Dakota for engineering, and I also plan on picking up a minor in Native American Studies. My advice for younger students is DO NOT be scared to talk to anyone! I’ve met so many great people just from simply stepping out of my comfort zone. What comes around goes around, so make the best of your time and stay positive. If you’re still too scared, don’t fake it ‘til you make it; fake it until you become it! Confidence is key.
Building a Future: Taivin’s Alumni Story
At St. Joseph’s Indian School, we believe the values we instill in our students — respect, gratitude, hope and integrity — don’t just shape young lives. They ripple outward, touching families, communities and future generations. As …
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Chelsea’s Story
The slogan for Chelsea Wilson’s “RezKutz” business is, “Your satisfaction is my goal,” and it’s something she lives out through the satisfaction of giving back to the school she attended from 1st through 8th grade: St. …
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Richard’s Story
Richard Two Two has had many titles already during his young life. He’s been called son, brother, student, husband, dad, corrections officer and more. But, recently he added another title to that list — one he …
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LaToya’s Story
When LaToya Crazy Bull thinks about her future, it’s not necessarily a scene of events that come to her mind — rather, it’s the faces of those she loves most. At 29-years-old, she cares for her …
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Lily’s Story
Every year, approximately 200 students live and learn on the campus of St. Joseph’s Indian School. We clothe them, supply them with virtually limitless educational resources, and nourish their bodies with healthy foods and their souls …
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Christian’s Story
Higher education is expensive. It’s the simple fact of the matter. Not everyone can afford college, as well as the living expenses that go along with it. And the idea of paying back a large amount …
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Jacob’s Story
If you were to call someone on the phone, the most common response you’d expect to hear upon their answer is, “Hello, this is [insert name].” But Jacob Lacota is not your typical 22-year-old. He answers …
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Martina’s Story
Martina, an alumna of St. Joseph’s Indian School’s graduating class of 2016, was recently awarded the Army Achievement Medal for the second time! Martina attended St. Joseph’s for 11 years and was very involved in the …
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Irene’s Story
Irene, an alumna of St. Joseph’s Indian School’s graduating class of 2016, was recently awarded the Army Achievement Medal. Irene, of Lower Brule, S.D., attended St. Joseph’s from first grade through her senior year, graduating from …
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Shay’s Story
Shay, a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at a veteran’s hospital, was working a night shift when she heard an alarm sound. The alarm was to signal that a patient was in need of help, so she …
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Become a DreamMaker
The DreamMakers are a special group of friends who give automatic monthly gifts to ensure the Lakota (Sioux) children are provided for year-round … and will help provide dreams for the future.
Continue Exploring Our Story
Our Mission
Since 1927, St. Joseph’s has educated Lakota (Sioux) children in mind, body, heart, and spirit.
Lakota Culture
Explore the traditions, language and ceremonies woven into daily life at St. Joseph’s.
Your Impact
See how friends like you bring hope and opportunity to Lakota children and families.
