Fond du Lac Tribal Community College hosted their 30th annual Powwow celebration on Sunday, March 30th, 2025. But this year, the students who help put the event together wanted to honor an important figure in the school.

Anishinaabe Student Council put together and prepared the Powwow. Over the last three months, they coordinated all the drummers, honor guard, and everything else to make the Powwow run smoothly. During the event, they also hosted a unique special compared to other Powwows. Molly & Jakob’s Woodland vs. Jingle Special was a dance event where both Woodland and Jingle dress dancers competed for the prize.

All went according to plan, as many vendors and community members showed up to the event. But the students also had an idea a week before the event to honor a retiring faculty member.

Honoring Roxanne DeLille

Roxanne DeLille is the Dean of Indigenous and Student Affairs, and she is retiring this spring. She has been a part of the college since its first inception, having a large hand in many of the operations and the growth of the college throughout the years. The current President of the Anishinaabe Student Council, Abbi Zapata, shared on much the students valued Roxanne in their education.

“She just helps students out when you need her, you know?” Abbi said. “She’s just like a helping hand. She’s very nice. She’s very mindful and just a very caring human being.”

Roxanne held a strong focus on keeping the balance of tribal and community inside and outside of the college. Blair Powless, Advisor of the Anishinaabe Student Council, said, “Roxanne is a huge part of this institution. She’s made sure that the combination of community college and tribal college, that the tribal college has remained prominent in that relationship, and she has supported so many staff and students.”

To celebrate and thank Roxanne for all her work and devotion to the college, the community played an honor song in her name.

The Powwow is planned to return next year, as the college and community deeply enjoy the celebration of culture. The Fond du Lac Tribal Community College’s next event is the MN Hard Collective. A free concert to increase public awareness by supporting the preservation of Hard Bop Jazz Music through non-partisan educational live performances and/or workshops/clinics.

More events can be found on their website: Here