From left: Ian Her Many Horses, daughter Sonya, wife Becky and daughter Carmen. Photo courtesy Ian Her Many Horses
Rosebud citizen earns PhD
By Brandon Ecoffey
Lakota Country Times Editor
www.lakotacountrytimes.com MISSION—Positive stories in Lakota Country are abundant if one knows where to look. One such story is that of a Rosebud man who just earned his PhD from the University of Colorado. Ian Her Many Horses knew what his life’s passion was as far back as high school. That understanding provided him with a sense of clarity that allowed him to focus on and achieve one of his lifelong goals. Last week he walked the stage at the University of Colorado to receive his Doctorate Degree in the field of Education Curriculum and Instruction. “When it came down to it, it was something I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to go back to teaching. I knew I wanted to teach computer science. That is what I want to do in my life,” said Her Many Horses. “The motivation was that it was something I want to do and I needed to learn more. I was fortunate enough to know what I wanted to do with my life and I had a path to get it done,” he added. Now married, and the father of 2 young daughters, Ian says that his experience as a first year teacher at Todd County High School showed him that he had much more to learn if we were to become the instructor that he always wanted to be. “I kind of bombed it and I didn’t know what I was doing very well, especially in a high school setting,” said Her Many Horses about his time teaching at Todd County. “Teaching was kind of my passion so I got a math education certification just to be able to do that. I always wanted to teach Computer Science but I wasn’t very good at it. So, I decided that I should go to grad school and try to figure it out.” he said. According to Her Many Horses the world of education is just beginning to develop curriculum for the instruction of Computer Science classes but that times are rapidly changing as schools and universities are beginning to expand their own research and course load in the field.
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As far as future plans Her Many Horses says that he would like to get back to teaching Computer Science but is keeping his options open. “I am working for learning assistance program here at the University of Colorado. I am mainly a web developer but I use my background to help support the research teams,” he said. Ian is one of many in his immediate family who have advanced degrees and he says that part of his success is linked to his family’s practice of sending the children away from the home in the summer months. “I was never home in the summers. I got used to the idea of not being home and I think that really helped me out,” he said. (Contact Brandon Ecoffey at editor@lakotacountrytimes.com) Find the award-winning Lakota Country Times on the Internet, Facebook and Twitter and download the new Lakota Country Times app today.
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