Čhaŋkú Lúta Scholarship program awards $275,000 as St. Joseph’s Indian School celebrates college graduates

Oct 5, 2026

(Chamberlain, S.D.) – St. Joseph’s Indian School’s commitment to education extends well beyond 8th grade and high school graduations.

During the 2025-26 academic year, the school awarded $275,000 through its Čhaŋkú Lúta (The Red Road) Scholarship program, supporting students as they pursue post-secondary education. The program awarded $138,500 to 86 recipients in fall 2025 and $136,500 to 87 recipients in spring 2026.

Scholarship recipients include St. Joseph’s Indian School alumni, family members of alumni and Native American students who are not alumni.

The impact of investing in post-secondary education was evident this spring and summer as St. Joseph’s celebrated nine alumni who earned college degrees. Their fields of study ranged from human services and social work to environmental science, medical billing and coding, and Lakota studies.

Among those graduates was Cody Lee Catches Enemy, a 2006 St. Joseph’s Indian School graduate and member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Catches Enemy earned a bachelor’s degree in Lakota Studies with an emphasis in Indian Law from Oglala Lakota College in June. She previously earned an associate degree in Lakota Studies with an emphasis in Tribal Law from Oglala Lakota College in 2024.

Catches Enemy’s mom made the conscious decision to send her to St. Joseph’s because of the quality of education and support she would receive.

“The importance of education was instilled in me at a young age, and that was in great part due to St. Joe’s and their staff,” Catches Enemy said. “I’m forever grateful for that now.”

A first-generation college graduate, Catches Enemy has continued building on that educational foundation. She is now pursuing a master’s degree in Lakota Leadership and Management at Oglala Lakota College while working for the Oglala Sioux Tribe Tribal Education Agency on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where she has worked for the past five years.

Her academic achievements have already earned recognition. In 2024, Catches Enemy received the Robert Gay Award for Highest Female GPA at Oglala Lakota College.

For Catches Enemy, attending a tribal college has provided opportunities to learn not only in the classroom but also through Lakota culture and knowledge.

“I most enjoy being taught by our actual Lakota relatives and getting firsthand knowledge of our culture, ways of life and traditions as a student at Oglala Lakota College,” she said.

Catches Enemy was one of nine St. Joseph’s alumni who completed post-secondary degrees in spring or summer 2026. They are:

  • Amanda Charger, Sinte Gleska University, Master of Arts in Human Services; Lower Brule Sioux Tribe.
  • Awna Cournoyer, Sinte Gleska University, Master of Arts in Human Services; Yankton Sioux Tribe.
  • Cody Lee Catches Enemy, Oglala Lakota College, Bachelor of Arts in Lakota Studies with an emphasis in Indian Law; Oglala Sioux Tribe.
  • Dawnee Charger, Sinte Gleska University, Master of Arts in Human Services; Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
  • LaToya Crazy Bull, Sinte Gleska University, Master of Arts in Human Services, Enhanced Professional Concentration; Lower Brule Sioux Tribe.
  • Melissa Begaii, Ultimate Medical Academy, Associate of Science in Medical Billing and Coding; Rosebud Sioux Tribe.
  • Pte Ska Hinapa Wi Poor Bear, Washington University’s George Warren Brown Graduate School of Social Work, Master of Social Work with a Mental Health Concentration; Oglala Sioux Tribe.
  • Shannon Poor Bear, Oglala Lakota College, Bachelor of Arts in Lakota Studies; Oglala Sioux Tribe.
  • Tanner Veo, Sitting Bull College, Master of Arts in Environmental Science and Research; Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

Together, the graduates illustrate the different paths St. Joseph’s alumni take after leaving Chamberlain and the ways education can ultimately benefit their families and communities.

For Catches Enemy, that path has led her back home. After completing her master’s degree, she hopes to work within the tribal court system and advocate for children and young people who need a voice.

She also encourages young people to recognize that success does not look the same for everyone.

“Everyone’s path in life is different, with or without college, and that is totally OK,” Catches Enemy said. “It’s important to follow your instincts and make solid, conscious decisions about your future for you!”

Through the Čhankú Lúta Scholarship program, St. Joseph’s Indian School continues to support students along those individual paths, helping make post-secondary education more accessible while celebrating alumni who carry their education forward into their families, careers and communities.