"You find yourself alone, and there are not many people around like you," says Jerry Lamb. "It can be daunting for Native American youth who come here from small communities."

Lamb, 35, is a prime example of a homegrown native student who bucked the odds and thrived at UM. A Gros Ventre from the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, he now directs UM-based American Indian Business Leaders, a national student organization that promotes Indian education, entrepreneurship and leadership. Formed a decade ago in UM's School of Business Administration, AIBL now has 50 chapters at universities, tribal colleges and schools nationwide.

Born at Fort Belknap and raised in Missoula, Lamb attended the University from 1996 to 2001, earning an undergraduate management degree and a master's in business administration. During that time he became the first American Indian vice president of Associated Students of UM, the University's student government.

His master's thesis was on the Indian gaming industry, and after graduation he left Montana for a year to help the Coeur d'Alene, Nez Perce and Kootenai tribes wage a successful statewide initiative campaign to preserve Indian gaming in Idaho. Then he jumped at the chance to return to his alma mater as executive director of AIBL, an organization he served as Missoula chapter president during his student days.

Why did he succeed at UM? Lamb experienced life for a time instead of going straight to college, working for regional airline Horizon Air and as a member of the Flathead Interagency Hotshots, an elite wildland firefighting crew. "But I also had very strong support from my family and relatives," he says. "That made a huge difference."

Lamb says his overriding desire is to use his education to give back to native people and further their well-being. He encourages Indian students to empower themselves through learning so they can give back to their families and their reservations.

His new role with AIBL recently allowed him to return home to north central Montana and encourage Fort Belknap students to invest in their educations. "I wish I could bottle that day," he says. "We remembered our ancestors and prayed to the Creator, and we talked about the importance of education and the future. That right there, to me, is what AIBL is all about."

He says UM is a special place because it's committed to diversity, starting at the top with President George Dennison. It's a topic Lamb is passionate about.

"Diversity is important to UM because it shows that all of us, regardless of culture, race, religion or sexual orientation, whatever the case may be, that we all have something meaningful to give to society, campus and our communities. It recognizes those differences and celebrates them. And I think we need to do more of that, because when we do, we learn so much and grow as people, students and professionals."

Lamb says the classes he attended with diverse student bodies and viewpoints enhanced his learning experience. "We need more diversity not only among our students, but among our faculty and staff," he says. "I don't think we are where we need to be yet as a University and a community, but I think we are going in the right direction."

Jess Roskelley | Teresa Branch | Mehrdad Kia | Sousan Rahimi | Jerry Lamb