Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** numbers of students identifying…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** numbers of students identifying as american indian/alaska native in the montana state university college of agriculture have grown from 47 in 2019 to 93 in 2023. However, persistence rates for indigenous students are still far lower than non-indigenous students. This proposal seeks to increase indigenous student persistence by 1) building a sense of belonging for tribal students that connects agricultural and culturally relevant experiences and 2) translate students' known strengths and experiences within their communities and families to overcome challenges and mitigate worries (self-efficacy) to persist in an agricultural pathway. Sweetgrass is a culturally significant plant to many indigenous tribes. This perennial plant relies on responsible relatives to thrive. This plant example of persistence with ritual tending within its environment affords a narrative about traditional ecological knowledge relatable to agriculture and serves as a model for student persistence. Sweetgrass gatherings led by student grower/mentors will weave in academic and student success programs around the growing, tending, ceremony, gifting and braiding of sweetgrass. Sweetgrass gatherings will begin with hearing student voices and the proposed programs and project will be grown and modified from those voices. Gatherings will be supplemented with weekly agricultural class recitation/practice opportunities led by student tutor/mentors. The anticipated impact of this proposed project is that we are engaging with our students in culturally relevant ways, so we can hear their challenges, adopt indigenous led strategies to help with those challenges, build scaffolding to support and celebrate their persistence, and close the persistence GAP.