Danielle Plumage of Aaniiih Nakoda College

Danielle (Dani) Plumage is an enrolled member of the Assiniboine tribe, and also has Aaniiih, Crow, and Northern Cheyenne heritage. She overcame many obstacles to be where she is today, including homelessness, alcoholism, and depression, some of which stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic. She made the decision to get her education at Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC). While at ANC, Dani accomplished a lot, including being one of the first graduates of the college’s new Aaniiih Nakoda language program. She was an honor student being inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society in 2024. She was also the 2024-25 student body president, an avid volunteer on campus, and one of the 2025 AIHEC Knowledge Bowl student champions. Dani attended the 2025 AIHEC Legislative Summit as ANC’s student representative. She was well prepared and did an amazing job advocating for TCUs and for ANC’s students.

Dani is a kind, humble, and strong young lady who carries herself in a good way and is always respectful. She is a hard worker, a lover of her language and an amazing artist on top of everything else. She once stated. “My focus is Aaniiih Nakoda languages, a new major at Aaniiih Nakoda College, and I’d love to become a language teacher someday, once I attain my degree.” Currently Dani is a transfer student attending the University of Montana.