Wokini Initiative: A New Beginning

Wokini, which means “new beginning” in Lakota, is an initiative that will offer programming and support to enrolled members of the nine tribal nations in South Dakota interested in gaining access to educational and advancement opportunities at South Dakota State University. The initiative will also enhance research and outreach collaboration and programs with tribes, tribal colleges and other tribal organizations in the state.

President Barry Dunn announced the Wokini Initiative in January 2017 and it has since gathered $4.1 million in commitments. In October, an anonymous donor committed $4 million to the construction of a new American Indian Student Center on campus and another $100,000 to scholarships for students of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota tribes in South Dakota.

Recently, Shana Harming was named the initiative’s program director. An enrolled member of the Kul Wicasa Oyate or Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, Harming served as a research coordinator for South Dakota State’s College of Nursing before being named director. Before coming to State, Harming was the director of the high school residential program at St. Joseph’s Indian School, a child welfare specialist for the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, and taught in the McLaughlin school district on the Standing Rock reservation and in the Flandreau public school district.

“Having an opportunity to collaborate with South Dakota’s tribal communities and tribal colleges, at my alma mater, makes this my dream job,” Harming said. “If someone wants to go to college, we need to work together to get them here. We need to remove the barriers for Native American students to enter and find success in higher education. I look forward to collaborating with key stakeholders to determine how we can serve the students better, help them be successful and support them.”

Harming has dedicated her career to working with Native families and communities to help close disparity gaps in both health and education, most recently helping lead efforts in developing educational materials for Native Americans about living kidney donation and transplants.

“As the state’s 1862 land-grant university, the Wokini Initiative is critical to supporting the mission of access to higher education and developing and training a workforce that can positively impact the state and the region,” Dunn said. “Shana’s experience will be valuable in helping bridge the gap that has existed in South Dakota in terms of providing resources and access to the educational benefits provided at SDSU for the American Indian students in our state.”