Alumni and Graduate Support

The Graduate Success department supports students and alumni in navigating college, career, and post-secondary pathways by providing guidance, resources, and ongoing mentorship. From high school through alumni life, the department ensures individuals are prepared, connected, and supported in reaching their goals.

Alumni

For more than 135 years, Red Cloud Indian School has been educating the Lakota leaders of tomorrow… men and women who have left our doors and gone out into the world poised to “set the world on fire.” We are proud of the thousands of alumni who have walked across the graduation stage and have gone on to do remarkable things.

Graduate Success

Red Cloud High School graduates’ matriculation rates into college have increased exponentially since 2001 (from 19 percent in 2001 to 91 percent in 2009). At Red Cloud, we are confident these improvements in college attendance are a result of improvements that have occurred in part thanks to outstanding guidance counseling and college preparation programs, as well as the addition of our Graduate Success support program.

The program offers college readiness services to our current high school students, and continues the relationship with our graduates as they begin their first years of college. Each year, we travel around the country to meet with as many of our graduates as possible, hearing firsthand the challenges they face in adapting to college life and witnessing the success they are realizing.

College Visit Program

The Graduate Success office, in coordination with our guidance counselors, organizes trips for Red Cloud High School juniors and seniors each year to visit colleges and universities around the country they are considering applying to.

The College Visit Program is just one aspect of a comprehensive post-secondary education program that Red Cloud High School attempts to provide to its students. With over 90 percent of our graduating seniors moving onto post-secondary education, it is important for our students to get a feel for college campuses as well as the immediate surroundings.

Keeping in Touch and Supporting Our Future

Trista Merrival is the Director of Graduate Success, where she leads efforts to support students and alumni in achieving their postsecondary goals. Trista is a Mahpiya Luta alum who graduated from College of Saint Mary and has returned to Mahpiya Luta to assist graduating seniors and other Mahpiya Luta alums in their college journeys.

Trista works closely with students to develop individualized plans, connect them with opportunities, and ensure they have the resources and encouragement needed to succeed in college, careers, and beyond. She helps prepare Mahpiya Luta graduates for their chosen post-secondary options, whether it be a college, university, trade school, the work force, or
enrollment in the armed forces. After graduation and throughout their careers, the Director of Graduate Success is there to connect graduates with support they need, from contacts and networking to encouragement and mentorship.

Trista Merrival can be reached at [email protected] or (605)867-1289 ext. 2535