LARAMIE, Wyo.—By not saying a word, Amanda LeClair thought it would make her invisible.

Being one of the few American Indian students in a predominately white high school can be a challenge for any Native, LeClair said. She experienced prejudice while attending school in Lander, a town off of the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming.

The racial tension made her want to be invisible at times. "I thought, ‘Well, if I'm quiet, no one will notice me,' " said LeClair, now 21.

Dealing with racial slurs from fellow students, teachers who didn't understand and consistently having to prove that she was just as smart as the non-Indian students took a toll on the young Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe's self-esteem, she said. While times were hard, it only made her work harder, knowing that something bigger and better was beyond Lander Valley High School when she graduated in 2005.

"I was ready to leave," LeClair said. So when the opportunity came to go to college at the University of Wyoming [1], she took it.

When she arrived in Laramie, the reality of being away from home hit her after her parents left her alone in her single dorm room. "I really didn't believe I was going to be OK," LeClair said.

Being on a floor with friendly people and getting to meet different students in the college atmosphere helped her feel at ease, and she slowly started to come out of her shell, she said. But what truly broke that shell wide open was watching a group of sorority girls laugh, talk and take pictures of themselves at a campus event.

When she first noticed a few girls of the Sigma Lamba Gamma sorority enjoying one another's company, all she could do was watch. Seeing the sisterhood and friendship they shared made LeClair long for what they had.

"I thought, ‘I would really like to be part of something like that,' " LeClair said. "They were all really strong women, independent women."

LeClair joined the sorority in spring 2006. Being part of the group and meeting different people made her come out of her shell. Before long she started speaking up. "I had to actually be comfortable holding a conversation with a person I didn't really know very well," LeClair said. "I've opened up a lot since then."

Belonging to the American Indian campus group Keepers of the Fire also made her feel at home. Group members not only learn about Indian issues but also meet other Indian students, LeClair said. While the main focus of Keepers of the Fire is to promote diversity, the group this year has been busy organizing a pow wow that will take place on campus in March.

"We've all worked really hard," LeClair said. Belonging to the group and also taking American Indian studies classes have strengthened her pride in being Native, LeClair said.

While she has also faced some racism in Laramie, she said, being in college is something she enjoys, and she plans to continue her studies in graduate school. She's on track to graduate in spring 2009 with a bachelor's degree in English.

LeClair recently learned she was accepted into the McNair Program [2], which aims to help prepare first-generation, minority and low-income students for graduate school. As part of the federally funded program, LeClair will spend the summer doing research and will also take tours of possible schools to carry on her education.

"I'm nervous and excited," LeClair said. "I want to prove to myself that I can make it." While Montana State University in Bozeman is one of her school possibilities, she wants to get her doctorate in English and one day become a professional writer or college professor.

Looking back at high school, she was a completely different person than she is now, she said. "I felt invisible back then," LeClair said. "I really didn't believe in myself."

One person who has seen a change in LeClair is her roommate Ashley Colyer, who also went to high school with her in Lander. What has changed about LeClair is the fact that she finally sees and recognizes what others have known about her all along, Colyer said.

"She still is the same Amanda, but she just got a lot more confidence," Coyler said. "She figured out for herself how amazing she is."