The end of summer is a transformative time. Yes, there is fun in the sun, but it is also a time when many start new chapters as college students. On campuses around the country, first year students will be decorating their first dorm rooms, upper classmen will be catching up on their summer adventures over coffee, and a select few Native students will receive some truly extraordinary news: they are receiving a scholarship to help cover the cost of their education. These students include the American Indian College Fund’s (College Fund) latest Full Circle Scholarship recipients who are Native American students, U.S. citizens, and enrolled or descendants of an enrolled member of a state or federally recognized tribe. Full Circle scholars attend accredited tribal colleges and universities mainstream higher education institutions across the country and represent hundreds of tribal nations.
Providing scholarships is the heart of the College Fund’s work. The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) founded the College Fund in 1989 to raise funds to invest in Native students and tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students have the lowest college-going rate of any racial or ethnic in the United States, with 26% of AIAN students ages 18-24 attending college compared to 39% of the U.S. population. Considering that AIAN people have the second-lowest household income on average of any demographic in the United States, the ever-increasing cost of college attendance poses one of the biggest challenges to Natives pursuing higher education. That is why the College Fund’s work is so important. Today, the College Fund remains the largest charity in the country supporting Native student access to higher education.
And our work goes far beyond monetary awards.
Indigenous values and practices shape how the College Fund operates. Once funded, Full Circle scholars receive wrap-around services throughout their academic career such as coaching, and resources for study skills, career and major exploration, and mental wellness. These tools give students the support they need to succeed in the classroom and after commencement. College Fund scholars are not just names in a list of awardees to the staff that work with them. They are parents, aunties, and younger cousins–and even elders, whose wisdom is as needed in the classroom as the words of the instructor and the youth–who will build a better world for the next seven generations.
The College Fund uplifts all their relations through the understanding that education is the answer. Sometimes all it takes to start the academic journey is having someone in your corner. There is nothing more traditional for Native communities than supporting others to make a positive difference in their lives, their communities, and the world. And while the College Fund is not currently able to support every scholarship applicant, we continue to work towards the day when any Native who wishes to pursue a degree or trade has the financial and other supports necessary to do so.
As this semester gears up, students in high school or those who took a break for the semester can also think about making a positive difference in their lives by applying for a college scholarship. There’s never a wrong time to start planning. Native students should consider filling out the College Fund’s application to be considered for hundreds of scholarships. All students should also get a head start on completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). College Fund staff also offer FAFSA application assistance and instruction for students who have questions.
