Hannah Ten Bear of Little Big Horn College

Hannah Ten Bear is from the Apsàaloke Nation (Crow tribe) and received her certification in the highway construction and carpentry at Little Big Horn College (LBHC). She comes from a long line of cowboys and cowgirls. Her family has been working cattle ever since she was little. Each part of her education has given her tools that she uses daily, not in separate ways but woven together into the rhythm of ranch work and mountain life. When Hannah studied highway construction, she learned more than just how to operate machinery or build roads. She also learned how to understand landscapes, how water moves across a slope, how rock and soil behave under pressure, and how to work safely in unpredictable environments. When she rides into the mountains to gather cattle or horses, the terrain doesn’t forgive carelessness. Steep draws, loose shale, hidden gullies, and thick timber can make gathering livestock a challenge. Planning routes that keep both the animals and the riders safe is essential. Those skills help guide her decisions when she moves cattle from their high summer pastures down into the winter range. Hannah thinks like a builder and like a rancher at the same time—using technical knowledge to move livestock smoothly through rugged country.

Hannah’s training in carpentry has become just as important. Ranch life always needs strong hands and good woodwork. Fences break, gates sag, barns age, corrals crack under pressure, and storms can undo months of upkeep in a single night. But because of her carpentry education at LBHC, she doesn’t wait around for someone else to fix things. Hannah can rebuild a gate, repair a feeder, frame a shed, or reinforce a pen to make it safer for both animals and people. She knows how to choose the right materials, measure and cut precisely, and build things that last in the tough Montana weather. Every time she repairs a winter shelter or strengthens a chute before bringing the cattle down, she is reminded that her carpentry skills aren’t just useful, they’re essential to keeping the operation running.

Her work in agriculture ties everything together. Working with cows and horses is more than a job; it’s a way of life, a responsibility, and a connection to generations before. In the mountains, gathering cattle requires patience, calm understanding, and respect for both the animals and the landscape. Horses are more than transportation, they’re partners, together travelling miles of uneven ground, guiding the herd down narrow trails that only locals know, moving them from their summer grazing land to the lower valleys where they’ll winter safely. Hannah says there’s a sense of peace in those early mornings when the sun rises over the ridges, a sense of pride in knowing she can do this work skillfully because of the knowledge she’s built through her education and experience. When the cattle finally reach winter pasture, the work shifts. She relies again on the skills from her construction and carpentry background, building windbreaks, and reinforcing structures before the snow sets in. Caring for animals through winter requires preparation, strength, and understanding of how weather and environment affect everything.

Hannah’s education at LBHC helps her predict problems before they happen and solve them quickly when they do. Her success isn’t defined by one degree or one job. It comes from combining every skill she’s earned, from surveying slopes to driving nails to reading animal behavior and using them to support a life built on hard work, tradition, and respect for the land. Every day she applies the knowledge from her degrees in ways that help her community, protect her animals, and carry forward the practices passed down through generations.