Help a Native pay off Private student loans

My name is Dani and today I'll be sharing a bit about my educational journey.

I began attending UND in 2009. Initially a JROTC student with other graduation plans, I made a last moment spontaneous decision to attend UND under the mentorship of a relative who also attended. They also made me aware of the scholarship resources for Native students. On the basis of accessing this financial aid, as well as the opportunity to get to know my SWO relations, I decided on UND. I received a cultural diversity tuition waiver which I fulfilled obligations for, like meeting with my professors, attending cultural events, educational workshops. The unfortunate thing about the waiver was it only covered tuition. I still had to cover the cost of meal plan, housing, university fees , art supplies for my initial graphic design major. I wasn't applicable for grants until junior year after my admission into the McNair Program where the wages for my research were finally adequate. Unfortunately as a result I had to withdraw private loans with the Bank of North Dakota.

Some added context for why I've had difficulty repaying the private loans:

In 2012 before before graduated I became pregnant. I had to withdraw from college for one semester to give birth and spend time with my babies. My parents convinced me to go back to school since I only had one semester left. They watched the kids while I completed that last year to graduate with with bachelors. Unfortunately my relationship became toxic. Thankfully, my parents did the majority of baby sitting and were primary supporters.

I was accepted into UND law but was never able to pursue it due to now having to prioritize retaining custody of my children. During this time I was employed working as an editor remotely for a Native newspaper. I also worked at a local rib shack in Maryland while i stayed with my parents (my home state before ND, SD.) I eventually worked at pita pit before my research job to help pay for my apartment rent.

Shortly after graduation and during the process of custody court responsibilities, I became a target of anonymous online harassment, which later further devolved into a public scandal involving former colleagues and unprofessional dynamics that I wanted no involvement in. There was no accountability in the organization and dealing with my own pressures I decided none of this was beneficial for the best interest of myself or my children, so I left. Since living in MD and after resolving custody matters I relocated to Minnesota where I got a job political campaigning and then an administrative job for case managers. Everything was great until my disabled partner injured his foot working a temp job, and had to get surgery. I signed on to the lease to get access to my mail (since i had been working on finding more employment at the time). Only to be dropped with an eviction. I fundraised money they asked for within a day, but the same weekend we were required to be in court I could not attend because we had ceremony to attend. As a result, I did not receive help from Minnesota social services to halt the eviction. I eventually was able to receive help from my Twitter moots to get the unlawful detainer dropped on my previously clean record. However, it was still a very stressful time. The UA obstructed our ability to get housing in St Paul.

The last day at my job in Minnesota I quit after receiving a phone call from a student loan servicer where i was told even though I was currently working fulltime , homeless and relocating to a new state to stay with my partner's inlaws out of necessity, that I was still held to a time limit. This instance of psychological distress tied to private loans is just one incident of many where I have been worked up to tears due to the pressures and demands. When my grandfather (Reverand Wilbert Robertson) passed away I was contacted by the bank only to be told my payments would now be increased unless I were able to bring a death certificate. (Me being estranged from those family members since everything that happened at my editing job, left me cut off and alienated from speaking to. On top of my grandmother constantly being stressed about my student loans with my grandfather being the cosigner.) Despite everything I made my best faith effort to continue making monthly payments from my patreon writing income when possible).

After many years of going through these stressful and tumultuous cycles, this pandemic has given me time to start leaving crisis mode. I've realized alot of the traumatic situations I've been in I never should have been put in, in the first place. I deserve liberation from this debt. I could go into the technicalities, like the fact that education for Natives is provided in the Fort Laramie Treaty. The fact that the most lauded UND donor Ralph Englestad collected nazi memorabilia (which I hadn't been made to of until the incident with the "siouxperdrunk" t shirts, racist sorority banner went viral during the height of my academic career, ultimately influencing me to shift away from the arts and graphic design just short of having to present my portfolio to communications out of necessity to respond to the grassroots organizing and media attention I was placed in. Even now, the fact that University of North Dakota is repatriating Native remains that should have been sent home decades long ago.

But ultimately I'm recognizing that while my concerns are a valid and righteous criticism of the ivory tower that is settler colonialism in academia; trauma dumping isn't a requirement to do what right and level the playing field.

Thank you so much to everyone who is helping to make this happen for me. To be free of this debt is a dream come true. Thank you for your kind deed of helping in whatever way u are able. And thank you you all who have stayed solid with me through out these struggles for years. ❤