SKC graduates overcome challenges, look to future

College is hard — the tests, the labs, the inches-thick text books, the all-night study sessions and the homework.

Imagine being a single mom and having to meet these challenges while working a full-time job like Lucinda Bigcrane. Or imagine entering college without a firm grasp of the English language like Georgia Old Dwarf.

Both of these women surmounted the odds with grace. Bigcrane carried a 3.34 grade point average and Old Dwarf ended the year with a cumulative 2.9 GPA — a feat considering she came to college with only rudimentary English skills.

"That was really hard for me," Old Dwarf said. "It was one of the obstacles."

Old Dwarf is originally from the Crow Reservation in Hardin where she spoke her native tongue.

"I didn't start learning English till the third grade," she said.

Old Dwarf got her GED in 1974. Afterward, she worked for the Hardin School District where she served as a mediator between students who spoke Crow and teachers who spoke strictly English. While she was able to gain employment using her native Crow, she found that her lack of English was a major setback once she entered college.

"It was a big barrier for me. It was hard to understand people," she said. "I doubled up here and there — did extra work on my English."

She credits SKC language labs for getting her through college.

"That was a big help," she said.

While she had to take extra English courses, she still graduated from SKC in three years with a B.A. in Social Work, and she already had one year of credits from Montana State University.

As one of SKC's three oldest grads of 2006, she'll be the first to tell you that it's never too late to get an education.

"This was something I always wanted to do. This was something I always wanted to accomplish in my life," she said.

Originally from Arizona and a member of the Salish and Kootenai Tribe, Bigcrane was raised on a Navaho reservation. She relocated with her daughter Jessica to Lake County just so she could attend SKC.

Bigcrane admits that things were tough. They lived in a cramped one-bedroom apartment. Her daughter watched as she juggled school with a full-time job and an internship while still being a parent.

"It was always homework with her," Jessica said.

"I don't know if it was harder for me or for her," Bigcrane said.

Bigcrane isn't the only parent to successfully complete college. During the SKC graduation ceremony, several speakers lauded the moms and dads who managed to find time to be parents and students.

"It's been a lot of personal growth," she said. "I had to do it on my own, being a single mom."

"It was a challenge. It was really hard, but I knew I had to keep going because that is what I came here for."

However, having separated from her husband and having to leave her eight-year-old son in Arizona is part of what inspired her to go into social work. She admits she was hesitant at first, thinking that social work was mainly a profession that dealt with separating children from her parents. However, when she looked into it further, she found it would be an opportunity to help families.

"It really started to interest me," she said. "That is where my heart is, working with families."

Seeing her mom sport a tassel was uplifting for Jessica.

"She pointed to [the tassel] and said 'Oh, I want one of those,'" Bigcrane said.

Neither Bigcrane or Old Dwarf are done with their academic journeys. They are both going to pursue Masters degrees. Bigcrane has been accepted at the Walla Walla College campus in Missoula and Old Dwarf starts MSU this fall.

Bigcrane said she was tempted to nix the idea of continuing education. She's had three job offers and it was hard for her to turn those down, she said.

"It's not done yet," she said. "It's so tempting to quit and get a job. I'm getting these job offers and the money is good, but I need to remember what is important to me. I want to teach someday," she said. "It seems the harder the journey, the more you learn about yourself."