Matilda Anderson

Matilda “Matee” is a current senior at the University of Kansas. She carries both Sicangu Lakota and Diné hertiage, both of which she is very proud of. She plans on using her education to improve the IHS (Indian Health Services) Rosebud level of care. She wants to give back as much as she can and simply help people become their best selves. She comes from a family that partakes in cultural traditions, so her spirituality is very important to her. Her family means the world to her and has taught her everything she knows. Her dad, Merle Anderson, her mom, Candace Metacalf, her grandma, Marianne Brave-Left Hand Bull, and her grandpa, Ned Metcalf, taught her everything she knows about her Lakota heritage and they keep her grounded as she pursues her studies at a large, predominantly white campus. Her family, along with her own tenacity, helped her to become a Jack Kent Cooke scholar, a prestigious award that has opened up innumerable opportunities for her. She credits this program for helping her meet the most incredible people, and she will always be grateful to her JKCF family.