Tribal Member Receives High Distinction Honor at College

By Joe Morey

News Editor

Adam DeNasha, LCO Tribal Member, was named to the President’s List of High Distinction for Summer of 2022 while enrolled in the Legal Studies/Paralegal program at Western Technical College in La Crosse.

“To be eligible for this academic honor, a student must be enrolled in an associate degree or technical program, carrying six credit hours or more per semester, and have earned a minimum Grade Point Average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. What an accomplishment,” stated Roger Stanford, PhD, President of the college.

DeNasha, the son of Tim Baker and Susan DeNasha of LCO, graduated from Baraboo High School in 2004 and started attending Western Technical College in January of 2022 and expects to graduate in December of 2023. He then plans to get a Bachelor Degree to apply for law school.

“Western Technical College is proud to give recognition to students like you who have demonstrated such commitment to their education. Your hard work and dedication are duly noted, and I am honored to place your name on the President's List,” Stanford said.

DeNasha said of his time so far at WTC that it’s been hectic, “Not just because of school, but with everything else on top of school. My significant other (Erica Smith) and I have four kids (ages 12, 11, 9, and 3 months old), we both have full-time jobs, and I had to learn how to litigate a case on the fly as a pro se litigant with no experience. A lot of nights I was only getting 2-4 hours of sleep.”

DeNasha said what he really likes about WTC is how understanding the instructors have been.

“With everything going on, they were flexible and worked with me. An example is that I had three days to file a reply in HCN Tribal Court, and I had an assignment due as well. I let my instructor know what was going on, and they would give me an extra day or two.”

Wis. State Representative Jill Billings sent DeNasha a letter recognizing his accomplishment being named to the President’s List of High Distinction.

“This is an impressive achievement, and I hope you are proud of all of your hard work to get this distinction. Receiving high distinction is not an easy thing to accomplish, especially with the requirement to achieve at least a 3.5 GPA. It is evident how passionate you are about learning and how driven you are to succeed.

“You are truly an asset to our La Crosse community and we are so lucky to be surrounded by students like you that are willing to go above and beyond in their studies! These last couple years have posed many challenges, and I admire your resiliency and willingness to keep learning and pursuing higher education. Keep up the great work!

“As your State Representative, know that my office can be of assistance to you. Please do not hesitate to reach out if I can be of help in the future,” Rep. Billings wrote.

DeNasha’s family includes his maternal grandparents William "Bill" DeNasha and Flavia Lafernier (Crowe), and paternal grandparents Charles Baker and Mikki Thundercloud. His siblings are Shandra Miller, Amanda Miller, and Mason Miller. Uncles are Donald DeNasha, Frank Crowe, John DeNasha (married to Nina DeNasha), Charlie DeNasha, and Mitch Crowe. Aunties are Frances DeNasha, Linda Redbird, and Debra Cloud.

“My favorite class so far was ‘Intro to Ethics: Theory & Application,’” said DeNasha. “That class made me seriously consider a bachelor's degree in Philosophy.”