Highland Community College welcomes award-winning author, Kimberly Sigafus, for Indigenous Spirituality presentation
November 11th, 2026
[Freeport, Ill.] — Highland Community College is celebrating Native American Heritage Month by bringing an award-winning Ojibwa speaker to campus.
“Indigenous Spirituality” will be presented by Kimberly Sigafus on Tuesday, November 17 from 12:45 – 1:45 pm, in the Student Conference Center, Room H-201, on the second floor.
Sigafus is an internationally published and award-winning Ojibwa author and speaker. She is a Road Scholar with the Illinois Humanities Organization. She has shared her culture by speaking at museums such as the Freeport Art Museum as well as Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
Her family is from White Earth Reservation in Minnesota and she now lives in Freeport with her husband. She is an author of over 20 books. She writes Native American fiction and nonfiction, YA (young adults), and children’s books, and travels throughout the Midwest to give presentations on her culture.
She is the CEO of Quiet Souls Events and Education, a nonprofit organization that promotes native culture through educational programs and special events.
“I like to do presentations that are interactive. The audience loves playing the native instruments, and I love teaching them a song. It’s a win-win for everyone,” Kimberly says. “The college space is a perfect opportunity to share my culture. I give students the opportunity to drum and sing, and they bring new questions and thoughts to me.”
The presentation on Indigenous Spirituality will touch on themes of Interconnectedness, The Sacred Circle, Animism, Relationship with the Land, sacred rituals and practices, the oral storytelling tradition of Native Americans, and more. Sigafus will bring samples of traditional Native American cuisine to give attendees an opportunity to experience the Ojibwa food tradition. Her books will be available for purchase after the event.
The event is free and open to the community. For more information on the program contact Amy Hesselbacher at 815-599-3447 or amy.hesselbacher@highland.edu.