With pomp and circumstance in the air, this time of year is all about celebrations and achievements. One student from SCTCC was able to celebrate her massive accomplishments in the classroom with a long-standing Native American tradition.
Shawntell Misquadace is the ultimate model for turning her grades around. In 2022, she graduated from Tech High School and McKinley ALC with a .7 GPA. Yep, a .7.
She took a gap year and came back with goals on her mind.
“I got the strength and courage to not be scared of going to college,” Misquadace said. “I wasn’t held back from who I was in high school – being a college student and adult is far different from being a high school student. Now I have a 4.0.”
Ultimately, she wants to be a NICU nurse at the Minneapolis Children’s Hospital, which has been her dream since she was a little girl. This spring, Misquadace will be graduating with her AA and plans to apply for the ADN program. In addition to the traditional Commencement ceremony, she was invited to be a part of the Blanketing Ceremony.
The tradition of blanketing is an opportunity for those who identify as Native America, First Nations, Alaska Native, and Indigenous who are graduating from local college, universities, or the 742 school district to honor and celebrate this rite of passage.
SCTCC was the host location for the 2026 Blanketing Ceremony on Friday, May 1, for graduates from high school diplomas to master’s degree recipients. This wasn’t Misquadace’s first blanketing: in 2022, she was the first person to put her hand on the tipi, which was also the first year the ceremony was held in St. Cloud.
This year, she’s celebrating the turnaround in her GPA and her graduation, which are set to be . Several friends and family were there for her, and when she stood up to have a blanket draped over her shoulders, they cheered as she smiled wide.