It wasn't until college that Amanda LeClair, an Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe, felt she could speak out about her culture.

"I went to a predominately white school," said LeClair. "That's how I felt, that I couldn't really share my experiences."

Her initial reluctance to talk has inspired her to research and write a report titled "Speaking Out: Experiences of Native American Students on a Predominately White Campus."

"It was mainly just to find out if Native students had similar or different experiences than mine," LeClair said.

The project tells LeClair's story, and the stories of five other students and two University of Wyoming faculty members. LeClair, a senior at the University of Wyoming, is working on the project as a requirement for the McNair Scholars program.

One student interviewed described being the only American Indian in an education class where Indian issues were brought up.

"They [the students] kind of all…focused on me," the student told LeClair. "I was really quiet and shy and scared because no one was like me on this campus…I shut down…it really scared me to be the only Native in class."

Isolation was a key theme in LeClair's research, said Angela Jaime, an educator professor at the University of Wyoming and LeClair's mentor for the project.

But perhaps most frustrating to Jaime is the fact that professors, even ones at UW, single out Indian students to share their experiences or speak on behalf of Indian people.

"We're a very diverse culture," Jaime said. "To lump us all into one group…is inappropriate because they can't speak for everyone."

Also frustrating is students who said they felt obligated to make comments because they feared it would hurt their grade if they didn't.

"It becomes about power," Jaime said, "and it becomes an issue for Native students especially because it goes against typical Native norms to challenge authority."

For students who grew up on reservations, moving to a mainstream higher education program can be a shock, said Dina Horwedel, the director of education at the American Indian College Fund.

The American Indian College Fund provides scholarships and support for Indian students seeking higher education. It's been estimated that as many as 80 percent of Indian students attending a four-year college or university will drop-out.

"It can be a cultural learning process," Horwedel said. "It can be a bit alienating for people."

Many students receiving scholarships from the American Indian College Fund attend a tribal college or university, Horwedel said.

"Number one, they are much closer to home, so they don't have to give up on their family obligations," she said. "And the other major reason is because the tribal colleges and universities are very encouraging sorts of environments. They are also places were people are working actively to preserve Native culture and language."

Those who leave the reservation for education often return.

"They bring back opportunities to the communities," Horwedel said. "They serve as role models."

Mohammed Waheed, the director of student support services at Central Wyoming College, said anywhere from 15 to 20 percent of students enrolling at CWC have Indian roots.

"We have a high retention rate of Native students," Waheed said. "Mainly because of all the support programs available to help them not only to survive in school, but to succeed in school and move on."

Support programs include a transfer coordinator available to all students, the United Tribes student group, and a variety of middle and high school programs Central Wyoming College helps support.

For LeClair, her research wasn't about showing only the negative experiences she and others have had. She wants to bring awareness to the issue, to educate non-Indian students and professors alike.

"I know my project is not going to solve every problem," LeClair said.

Reach education reporter Jasa Santos at (307) 266-0593 or at jasa.santos@trib.com. Read her education blog at trib.com/blog.