FORT YATES - A man called out bingonumbers and music played from a nearby booth.

Tami Bird Horse sat in a folding chair, bingo card on the table in front of her, talking with two young girls.

The weather cooperated for the Sitting Bull College Fun in the Sun event put on by Student Services. Bird Horse graduated from the college in 2000 and wanted the girls to see the campus and meet some of her former professors.

"I encourage my students to get an education … when education is right here, take advantage of it," she said.

She took advantage of the education in Fort Yates later in life. She already had two children, and gave birth to another child near graduation.

The college didn't offer day care then, and she recalls one of her professors holding her baby on an occasion when she couldn't find a sitter and she had a test.

She kept with college, though, with the support of her husband and family. Her mother encouraged her to get an education, and then, after her sister went to college, they kept on her to get an education, she said. Now, they're encouraging her to get a master's degree. It was difficult at first, teaching herself how to study again.

Bird Horse has a degree in special education. She earned a degree from Sitting Bull College and a bachelor's degree from Sinte Gleska University in Mission, S.D.

She chose Sitting Bull College because of family in the area. She commuted to Sitting Bull College from Bismarck, where she had lived for 21 years, when she earned her degree. When she finished, she moved back to the reservation.

"I stayed all my life here and in Bismarck, and my family is here," she said. "That's most important for me."

The financial aid package from Sitting Bull College also appealed to her. It let her get a college degree without going into debt. It has let her live a self-sufficient life. She and her family built a house on some land between Mobridge and McLaughlin in South Dakota, which they also did without a loan.

Now, she works for Standing Rock Vocational Rehabilitation through Sitting Bull College. In her job, she works with people between 12 years and 21 years old. She helps find them volunteer opportunities and employment, as well as build skills.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@bismarcktribune.com.)