College can be a maze for any student with each twist and turn representing a new course or major that could lead a student into frustration. This is especially true for minority students, who might have to adapt to an entirely new environment if they want to succeed.

This is where Salena Hill comes in.

Hill is the student adviser, counselor and program liaison for the University of Montana Native American Studies department. She is an enrolled member of the Crow tribe and a descendent of the Blackfeet tribe. Her office walls are covered with posters promoting Native pride and tradition.

Among Hill’s duties, the biggest is providing academic advising to the university’s Native American students. She acts as a coach to these students, who are usually in their first years in college or fresh transfers from tribal colleges.

This year, she is working with about 50 students, she said.

“It’s a number of things,” Hill said about the benefits of her job. “It’s teaching, you’re teaching students how to use the system and you’re always giving advice. A part of that is building personal connections.”

The job gives Hill the opportunity to watch students starting from orientation and right through to graduation.

“To watch them come in and just not knowing anything about the university,” she said of her students. “And then to watch them graduate is probably one of the most rewarding pieces of my job.”

Hill’s position is especially important now, as the faltering economy has affected college enrollment nationwide. Schools, including the University of Montana, have been wrestling with tuition increases to make up for declining state support.

However, the University of Montana has managed to increase its Native American student population using a combination of support services that includes Hill’s position and the American Indian Student Services, a campus program that welcomes Native students and creates a community.

The school also offers tuition waivers to Native American students who are state residents.

According to a 2009-11 UM diversity action plan report, enrollment of Native Americans students increased from 2.7 percent to 4 percent during that time span. This year alone there are approximately 600 Native American students compared to 538 in 2008. UM is ranked nationally 19th for universities graduating Native Americans with baccalaureate degrees according to the report.

“(Hill) understands the struggles of being a student and understands the struggle of being a Native student,” said Terri Jarvey, a program coordinator with the American Indian Student Services. Hill manages to create an atmosphere in her office where students find familiarity and comfort.

“She’s an asset to the university and community,” Jarvey said.

Melissa Woodward, a student at the university, sat down with Hill for an advising session and said she felt that Hill was "way more personal.”

Woodward said she had friends with advisors that didn't sit down and help them like Hill did with her.

The advising session was very relaxed as Hill joked and kept the air in the room light. In the background Hill's iPod played a rhythm and blues song while they discussed a math class that Woodward dropped and they were deciding if she wanted to take it again next semester.

As Woodward described her current schedule, Hill consistently asked how each class was going and if she felt that her schedule for next semester was exactly what she wanted.

"From the beginning she helped me with picking my classes,” Woodward said, following the session.

Hill came to the University of Montana as an advisor in 2001 with an undergraduate degree in counseling from the University of Great Falls. She quickly realized the benefits of working for a university, and began working toward a masters degree in counseling education.

Posted on her office wall, is a whiteboard with "Tips 4 Students Success" written in marker. One of the tips for students is to utilize services including tutoring.

Although Hill is primarily there for advising she does dabble in a bit of counseling. Whenever students have an issue she gives them a comfortable environment to come to and also gives them further resources depending on their need.

"I want to be that person that if a student is struggling – whether it be academically or if something happened on campus – I want them to feel like they can come to me," Hill said.

One of her most common questions she asks students as they plan their future semesters, especially if they are trying to rectify the effects of a misspent term: "What are you going to change this semester?"

She said she asks this question more frequently than she'd like. There are a lot of distractions in college that can cause students to veer off their path. This could missing classes or dropping out.

Native American student retention can be a challenge. The struggle to graduate can deter a student. Students might leave due to family problems or simply because they aren't doing well in their classes.

Some students, Hill said, disappear.

Students commonly choose to drop classes. Hill is there to provide them with alternatives in hopes that they stay in the class and find another way to cope with any issues.

"Sometimes there are options students aren't aware of,” Hill said. “I want them to know their options.”

Hill provides much needed perspective in her position, as a Native American, a student and an educator. She has seen students succeed while others struggle for years or even disappear from campus. In the end, Hill hopes to show her students that education never ends.

"One of the benefits of working on a college campus is that you're never done learning,” Hill said. “It’s going on around you all the time,"