Navajo Nation Brain Drain: An Exploration of Returning College Graduates’ Perspectives

Abstract

American Indian tribes face the phenomenon known across the world as the brain drain. They invest millions of dollars in educating their members only to have little return on their investment. Many nation members leave reservations to get postsecondary education but never return. Those who get education off the reservation and choose to return are the exception to this rule. Although there is an abundance of literature regarding brain drain across the world, there has been little research done with American Indians. In order to begin to understand the brain drain phenomenon, this study analyzed unstructured qualitative interviews with 17 Navajo Nation members who left their reservation, obtained a degree, and returned to work on the reservation. Themes resulting from the hermeneutic analysis of transcribed interviews were (a) Family Support, (b) Community, (c) Cultural Identity, (d) the Simple Life, (e) Reservation Economy, and (f) Commitment to the Reservation. The analysis found that constant, lengthy, and meaningful relationships were motivating factors in drawing participants back to contribute to their reservations. Further study is needed to understand how communities and tribes can ensure that these relationships are built and maintained.

Career psychology and work in the Native American context.

“…For many Native American college students, their majors are not directly linked to specific career paths, and thus, they are still searching for career fit after graduation. Along with the career development issues that all young people face, they have additional challenges related to leaving their homes, families, and reservations to find optimal work opportunities (Bearchief-Adolpho et al, 2017;Hoffmann et al, 2005). This can be a challenge not only for the student but also for the tribe that spends significant sums to provide their children with higher education opportunities, only to have these young people not return to help the tribe develop its economies and resources (Bearchief-Adolpho et al, 2017).…”