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Empowering Native American Youth

Our team strongly believes that Native American youth are key to developing, strengthening, and supporting Tribal and urban Native communities. Pursuing higher education is one of the many ways that students can reach their PURPOSE, and we are honored to provide the necessary support to help them on their journey.

Native American College Planning importance of culture in the process

As a consulting service, 4DECS is dedicated to assisting counselors and educators with integrating culturally responsive tools and practices into the college planning process. Our lead consultant, Kerrie Troseth, has been a licensed school counselor since 1999 and now has focused her work exclusively on Native American youth.

Kerrie recognized that many popular college search tools and resources did not consider supportive cultural factors in the college planning process. This can make it difficult for Native American youth to identify supportive colleges and resources for their college journey.  Unable to find culturally relevant college tools for Native youth, Kerrie advocated for the development of an online college planning platform that acknowledged Native American culture and utilized cultural, protective factors.

Over the course of two years and through extensive research and networking, CollegeBound Journey™ was created to support our own clients; however, we quickly realized the broader impact the platform could have if provided to a wider audience. In 2022, CollegeBound Journey™  was made available to schools, Indian Education Programs, Tribal Education Departments, College Access Partners, and families.

“CollegeBound Journey is the only online platform that is designed specifically for Native youth.”

Our aim is to support our Native American youth on their CollegeBound Journey™ all while acknowledging their unique, cultural needs.   Our youth are the future of for their communities, and we are grateful to present this unique resource to guide them towards their purpose and dreams.  

Native web

Our Website Developer

Nativ3,Minneapolis, MN

We partnered with NATIV3, a Minneapolis-based digital marketing firm, to create this platform.  NATIV3 continues to provide technical support and insights to offer this experience to our clients.