‘It’s a family’: How a California tribal college is opening doors for Native students

When Amelia Giron, 41, started taking courses at California Indian Nations College in 2023, she was three months into Alcoholics Anonymous, battling homelessness and drug addiction and not on speaking terms with her four children. 

Now, Giron has been sober for more than two years, has a relationship with her children, and has been joined by her two eldest in taking courses at the college. Giron expects to graduate with an associate degree in sociology this month and attributes her reconnection with her family to the tribal college.  

College leaders say Native students have long been left behind in education, and tribal colleges give them a chance to attain culturally supportive higher education. While California is home to the largest number of Native residents of any state in the U.S., it has just one confirmed tribal college and little state funding support.  

Now, two Assembly bills introduced earlier this year look to further strengthen tribal education in California.  

Assembly Bill 1641 would add tribal colleges to the California education code’s definition of public higher education and Assembly Bill 1769 would allow tribal college students to transfer their units to other colleges and universities. College leaders hope the assembly bills, as well as recent accreditation, could open the door to consistent state or federal funding. The president of California Indian Nations College, Celeste Townsend, said Native students have been “bypassed, ignored and suppressed” in education over the decades. For students like Giron, tribal colleges offer a chance to experience a culturally relevant curriculum and revitalize their languages.

“When I started participating in the different workshops, and I started to really learn the culture it really helped me,” Giron said. “Understanding and also just participating in ceremony, sweat lodge and stuff like that… it helped really ground me and keep me on the road to recovery.”

Nationwide, Native Americans graduate from college at lower rates in comparison to other groups. 

In California, the community college system reports that 58% of American Indian or Alaska Native students stay enrolled after their first year, in comparison with 68% of students overall. Within the California State University system, the four-year graduation rate for American Indian or Alaska Native students is 29.1%, while the overall rate is 37.3%. At the University of California system, American Indian students’ four-year graduation rate is 62.7%, compared to the overall rate of 74%.

California Indian Nations College opened in 2018 and is located in Palm Desert near Coachella, where it offers associate degrees through a partnership with the College of the Desert. All courses have been fully transferable to four-year colleges and universities because degrees were conferred by College of the Desert.

Now, the tribal college has received an eight-year accreditation from the Accrediting Commission of Colleges and Junior Colleges, allowing it to offer associate degrees independently.

Taking a community-centered approach to education 

California has the largest indigenous population of any state in the country, at over 700,000. Besides California Indian Nations, the state lists only two other tribal colleges: California Tribal College in Sacramento and Kumeyaay Community College near El Cajon east of San Diego. Officials with California Tribal College and Kumeyaay Community College did not respond to multiple requests to confirm they are still in operation.

Shawn Ragan, executive vice president of California Indian Nations College, said Native Americans have a traumatic history with Western education systems. Federally recognized Tribal Colleges and Universities are an effort to put formal learning into the hands of tribes.

“Education has been used as a tool of colonialization,” Ragan said. “It’s been used to strip language, identity, culture, from Native Americans.”

Though the college has been offering instruction entirely online since the COVID-19 pandemic, students routinely have opportunities to connect in person for basket weaving, hikes, sweat lodge ceremonies and gatherings.

Giron now serves as student body vice president overseeing academics and clubs, a brand new position this year. The student government at the college is currently working on its bylaws and setting up a bank account.

Growing up, Giron was not in contact with her mother’s side of the family, which has connections to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. Her younger brother started attending the college, recommended it to her, and she started taking courses as well. 

One day, she invited her four teenage children, who were estranged at the time, to join her on a hike hosted by the college, and they agreed. While walking through Palm Desert’s canyons, a cultural guide from the college spoke with them about the medicinal and ancestral uses of the plants in the area. When they reached a body of water, the guide sang bird songs and burned sage to cleanse negative energy, Giron said.

“That was that first connection, again, with my kids,” Giron said. “We’re building a relationship. CINC is a huge part of that. It was that bridge between me and my family, and reuniting us.”

Giron said the tribal college’s teaching style emphasizes community building more than her K-12 schools and the College of the Desert. From the time she started at the college, Giron said she felt investment from administrators and professors. Without the college, Giron said she may have started drinking again.

At California Indian Nations College, some exams incorporate collaboration with other students in a “talking circle” format, where students are able to work in groups and engage in discussion.

Giron said she chose to study sociology because it provides a broad range of employment opportunities where she could give back to her community. She’s considering becoming a counselor, social worker or therapist.

“That same system that was designed to oppress us, we’re now utilizing as a tool, to be resilient, come out on top, and just prosper,” Giron said. “I just feel so empowered by the idea of being a part of that.”

Accreditation is a historic milestone for California tribal college

California Indian Nations College became the only tribal college in the state to be accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Colleges and Junior Colleges on Feb. 3. The commission’s accreditation enables a college to qualify for federal grants and contracts, distribute federal financial aid and transfer student credits more easily. 

The college currently has no consistent funding stream, relying on $9 million in seed money from the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians at its founding. The federally recognized tribe also provides funding for the college to cover tuition costs for all students.

Three years ago, the state granted the college $5 million in one-time funding, and in 2025, the state gave an additional $10 million. This year, the college is requesting $13.5 million from the state. 

Townsend said the college’s accreditation will enable students to take pride in their degree, knowing it is fully recognized and accepted at the university of their choice, as well as being culturally specific.

“We’re showing [students] that through education, the value of a degree can carry a lot of weight,” Townsend said. “We’re giving them that empowerment, and we’re proud to do it and open the door and encourage them to go further.” The college has served 517 students since it opened in 2018. Three-quarters are first-generation college students. In 2024, 59% of graduates transferred to another college or university to continue their education, up nearly 30% from the previous academic year.

In the 2024-25 academic year, 25 students graduated from the tribal college with associate degrees. This spring, Townsend is expecting 33 graduates.

“This strengthens academic pathways as well as honoring our commitment to our people, to educate… and empower them, bringing that community reciprocity,” Townsend said of the accreditation. 

Student body president Erica Muñoz, 22, said she traveled to Sacramento last year to speak to lawmakers to advocate for Cal Grant support for students at California Indian Nations College. She said she was proud to show up for herself and for her school, and share her story. 

In high school, Muñoz said she didn’t get much support from teachers and counselors. She felt like she was a statistic, joining the ranks of Native students who struggle to keep up with schoolwork. Muñoz said it seemed easy to “slip through the cracks” before she enrolled in California Indian Nations College. She is now the first member of her family to attend college. Muñoz lives in Banning, about 35 miles from the college, and grew up in San Bernardino.

“This school is not just an institution, it’s a community, it’s a family,” Muñoz said. “There’s going to be more opportunities for students, more career pathways to open up. This is giving us the structure and stability that we’ve always wanted.”

Solidifying tribal colleges’ place in California higher education

The current state education code defines public higher education as campuses within the California Community Colleges, California State University and the University of California systems. AB 1641 would add tribal colleges and universities to the list. 

Ragan said the bill is a chance to codify what tribal colleges mean to the state. 

“The Native community has been invisible throughout the nation and also in California,” Ragan said. “We’re not part of the framework for how California thinks about higher education.”

Bill co-sponsor Assemblymember James Ramos became the first Native American assemblymember when he was elected in 2018. The Democrat represents District 45, which encompasses parts of San Bernardino, about 60 miles from Palm Desert. 

Ramos said AB 1641 is about making sure the state recognizes tribal colleges.

“The tribal community continues to suffer at a rate higher than other groups that are out there with high school attainment, college attainment and education attainment,” Ramos said. “Tribal colleges are a way for tribes to start to fill in that gap of making sure that people do pursue higher education.”

Ramos also authored AB 1769, which he introduced on Feb. 23. This bill would ensure that courses taken at California tribal colleges are transferable to Cal State campuses and community colleges. The bill would require the Cal State Board of Trustees and the community college system’s Board of Governors to develop and implement a transfer agreement for accredited tribal colleges. It would request the UC Regents do the same. 

“It opened doors for us to be part of the conversations,” Ragan said. “As California is doing its master planning, or any kind of higher education planning, that tribal colleges are included in that conversation… This is a first step towards eventually becoming a regular line item in the state budget, but there’s still a lot between here and there.”

Ella Carter-Klauschie is a contributor with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.