Kassy Hardesty

Kassy Hardesty is currently a freshman student at Collin College. When Kassy arrived on the Rosebud reservation in the second grade, she started on a rocky foundation in her home life - her parents had just divorced, her two brothers were in the custody of her father in Minnesota, and her eldest brother was incarcerated. Kassy’s connection to her Native American heritage after moving to Rosebud, however, helped alleviate that chaos by giving her a sense of belonging and connection to a community. One of Kassy’s greatest strengths is her initiative - although she could have easily scraped by as a mediocre student, she took it upon herself to exceed expectations and graduate in the top of her class, take college-level English courses, and pass them with straight A’s. Kassy was not only a successful student, but also a successful leader - displaying leadership skills within student government, athletics, choir, National Honor Society, and HOSA. Kassy credits her success to her desire to break through the boundaries set in place and defy stigmas against Native American students.