Coeur d'Alene Tribal Member a Tribal College Student of the Year

Through trials, tribulations and hardships, Marie Aripa has persevered. The 32-year-old enrolled Coeur d'Alene Tribal Member was honored as a 2025-2026 Tribal College Student of the Year by the American Indian College Fund during a March 15 ceremony in Bismarck, N.D. during the American Indian Higher Education Consortium’s 2026 Student Conference. In 2024, Aripa earned an associate of arts degree in business management from Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Mont., where she is currently finishing a final quarter to earn a bachelor's in business administration in June. "Being named Student of the Year means more than I can say," Aripa told The Press via email Thursday, March 26.