Annalissa Cavanaugh of Cankdeska Cikana Community College

Annalissa Cavanaugh is from the Spirit Lake Tribe and is a student at Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC) where she’s majoring in social work. For most of her academic journey, she has kept good grades. She has made the president’s list and is a student in good standing, which she attributes to her  father and grandmother.

“My grandmother passed on before I started at CCCC, but her shared words and knowledge still live on. Her memory is what keeps me afloat also in my journey,” says Annalissa. Upon the completion of her social work studies, she plans to attend the University of North Dakota. From there, she will get her bachelor’s degree and, down the line, potentially get a master’s degree. With her degrees, she would like to return to her community and help those who struggle with addiction or mental health problems in hopes that she can guide her community away from drugs and alcohol. Annalissa wishes for the people of her community to be aware that there is still hope for them and that they all have the potential to make something of themselves.