Alumni | Featured | Health Education and Human SciencesOctober 13, 2025

Alumna Rides Through History

Written By: Ian Silvester

Jenny Kliest, a 2024 graduate of the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith dental hygiene program, rode through nearly 1,000 miles of history this summer. 

Kliest, a member of the Cherokee Nation, balanced post-graduation life by working as a hygienist at the Wilma P. Mankiller Health Center in Stilwell, Okla, and dedicating every weekend from December 2024 to May 2025 in preparation for the Remember the Removal Bike Ride. She spent hundreds of hours diving into the history of the Trail of Tears, learning the Cherokee language, and practicing riding her bike. 

It all culminated in a 950-mile bike ride along the Trail of Tears’ Northern Route across seven states, from the former Cherokee capital New Echota, near Calhoun, Georgia, to the present-day capital of Tahlequah, Okla. 

Along the route, Kliest and her team stopped at many historic Cherokee sites and significant places along the Trail of Tears, including the Kituwah Mound, Blythe Ferry, Mantle Rock, and the Trail of Tears Commemorative Park, where nine of 13 groups of Cherokees crossed the Mississippi River during the winter of 1838-1839. 

“It was so sad, I don’t know how to put it into words,” Kliest said. “You just went through every single emotion because, one, you’re drained physically, two, it’s horrible to hear what happened.” 

Her six months of training leading up to the ride shed light on Kliest’s ancestry and relatives who were part of the forced removal. This family history had a particularly profound impact during one of the nearly 20 days of the ride in Missouri. 

“I remember there’s this hill, they call it ‘The Wall.’ I made it halfway. It was taking everything—you run out of gears—just to push, and I remember thinking, ‘there’s no way that my granny could walk this right now,’” she said. “I cannot imagine having to tell children why we’re doing this and why we had to leave our house. Many of the elders and babies didn’t survive. To think of it that way and put yourself in their position really changes your perspective.” 

Kliest and the 11 other cyclists on her team reached Tahlequah on June 20 after traveling through Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas to mark the conclusion of the Remember the Removal Bike Ride. They were greeted with hugs, cheers, tears, pictures, and a ceremony presided over by Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. 

Kliest shared that many of her UAFS Gamma Phi Beta sorority sisters reached out to talk to her about the journey when it was completed. She said it was nice to give details and share the history of the Cherokee people. 

The Trail of Tears refers to the federal Indian Removal Act, when thousands of Cherokees were forced from their homes in the southeast and relocated to Oklahoma. According to the National Park Service, more than 4,000, or nearly a fifth of the Cherokee population, died during the winter of 1838-39, as a result of disease, starvation, and exposure. 

The Remember the Removal Bike Ride serves as a reminder to never forget those who sacrificed their homes and lives. 

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