by Melissa Newland
The halls of the 2026 American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) Student Conference were alive with energy, excitement, and pride as students from Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (KBOCC) made their mark over four unforgettable days in Bismarck, ND. From the moment the conference began, the KBOCC delegation demonstrated the spirit of their community, embracing both competition and camaraderie with enthusiasm. According to the AHEIC website, www.aihec.com, “Since the first AIHEC
Student Conference in 1980, this annual event has grown from a few dozen participants to over 1,000 students, faculty, and staff coming together each spring to compete in academic, cultural, and artistic exercises; share stories, and best practices; participate in plenary sessions; and celebrate the Tribal College Movement. As participation has grown, the conference has also grown in complexity and organization. In 2010, competition rules, participation requirements, the AIHEC Board of Directors, composed of the nation’s Tribal College and University (TCU) presidents, requested that AIHEC and TCU staff begin the process of formalizing and standardizing the conference, including judging, cost, etc. In 2013, the Board established the AIHEC Student Conference Commission to oversee this
process.” To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.