Short Answer Questions

Tips for The Full Circle and TCU Scholarship applications

The Full Circle and TCU Scholarship applications have an essay style format with three short-answer questions.

These sections are your chance to share your story and give readers an opportunity to see how a scholarship would help you achieve your stated educational and professional goals and require you to discuss three elements: an obstacle that you have overcome in order to get to where you are now; your educational goals and how this scholarship will help you achieve those; and how your education will help your Native community.

We recommend that you type out your responses to the short-answer question in a Word document (like this template) to ensure safe keeping if you need to abandon the application before submission.

To enhance this section, start by creating an outline of your thoughts and initial answers to each question. The outline does not need to look perfect, but it will allow you to start thinking about and organizing these questions and how they relate to each other.

Here are two sample outlines to help get you started:

  • A Visual Outline for those who prefer to see the outline as part of the big picture.
  • A Textual Outline for those who prefer a more linear approach.
  • Whichever outline you choose, remember that they are not meant to be exhaustive. They are designed to help you organize your thoughts and begin planning for writing your final responses.
  • There is no right or wrong answer for these questions, but it is very important that you provide a thorough response to each short-answer question.

As always, don’t forget to check your grammar and spelling!

NOTE: The short-answer section is ONLY available in the application, not in the profile. This means you must have all of your application ready (INCLUDING YOUR TRANSCRIPT READY TO UPLOAD) when you answer these questions; otherwise your answers will not be saved.

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American Indian College Fund Welcomes New Cohort of Faculty Fellows

American Indian College Fund Welcomes New Cohort of Faculty Fellows

Denver, Colo., August 25, 2026 — The American Indian College Fund (College Fund) is supporting six new faculty fellows with funding to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees to enhance the academic programs at their tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). Funding for this cohort comes from two fellowship programs administered by the College Fund.

Two faculty received College Fund fellowships. Gabrille Kennedy (Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan), general science learning assistant at Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College in Mount Pleasant, Mich., is pursuing a Masters of Science in general biology. She received the College Fund Master’s Fellowship which supports TCU faculty and staff accepted to or enrolled in a master’s degree program. Fellows receive awards of up to $25,000 for up to two years under this program.

Nyleta Belgarde (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa), arts and humanities faculty member at Leech Lake Tribal College in Cass Lake, Minn., is pursuing a Ph.D. in education, culture and teaching, with an emphasis in Ojibwemowin reclamation. She was awarded the College Fund Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, which provides TCU faculty who are in the final stage of their doctoral program with a one-year award to complete their dissertation and other requirements for graduation. The program aims to support individual faculty members’ educational goals while increasing the number of TCU faculty members with a doctorate and cultivating leaders from within. Fellows receive awards of up to $20,000.

Four faculty were awarded a Nyswander–Blanchard Pre-Dissertation Fellowship. Roxanne Frenchman (Oneida Nation), Assistant Professor of Business at Little Priest Tribal College in Winnebago, Neb., is working on a Doctorate of Business Administration; Rosemary Matt (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation), Native language teacher education chair and faculty member at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Mont., is pursuing an Ed.D. in educational leadership; Kimberly Pinson, early childhood education faculty member at Bay Mills Community College in Brimley, Mich., is pursuing a Ph.D. in education-curriculum and instruction; and Jenny Serpa, adjunct instructor and Site Manager at Northwest Indian College-Nisqually in Olympia, Wash., who is pursuing a Ph.D. in leadership studies.

The Nyswander–Blanchard Pre-Dissertation Fellowship supports TCU faculty who have been admitted to or are enrolled in a doctoral program and are in the coursework phase of their studies. The fellowship was established in 2012 with support and funding from then-College Fund Board Member Kim Blanchard and the Nyswander-Manson family. Fellows receive between $3,000 and $12,500 for one year. Funding must be used to cover expenses associated with degree attainment such as tuition, fees, and books.

About the American Indian College Fund — The American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 37 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer” and provided more than $23 million in scholarships and other student support for higher education in 2024-25. Since its founding in 1989 the College Fund has provided more than $391 million in scholarships, programs, community, and tribal college support. The College Fund also supports a variety of programs at the nation’s 35 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators. It earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid (Guidestar), and the “Best in America Seal of Excellence” from the Independent Charities of America. The College Fund was also named as one of the nation’s top 100 charities to the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit collegefund.org.

Journalists — The American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use the College Fund.

My First TCU Site Visit: Experiencing Community at Turtle Mountain College

By Leala P., Student Communications and Engagement Coordinator within Student Success Services at the American Indian College Fund

2026 Student Engagement and Communications team at Turtle Mountain College’s Anishinabe Campus

Student Engagement and Communications team at Turtle Mountain College’s Anishinabe Campus

I joined the American Indian College Fund (College Fund) in October 2025 as the Student Communications and Engagement Coordinator within Student Success Services. Since then, I have had the opportunity to learn more about the work of tribal colleges and universities (TCU) through the students and institutions we serve. I am grateful to have had my first TCU site visit as a College Fund employee at Turtle Mountain College (TMC) during a recent team retreat.

TCUs have always been familiar to me. My grandma and auntie have both worked at Oglala Lakota College for my entire life, so I grew up understanding that a tribal college is much more than a place where students attend classes. TCUs are woven into their communities. They provide spaces where students and community members can learn and grow both individually and together. Visiting TMC allowed me to expand that understanding by seeing how another tribal college carries out that responsibility in its own community.

Our team my supervisor, Mariah, and I toured both TMC’s main campus and the Anishinabe Campus. One of the most memorable parts of the main campus tour was visiting the Archives Room in the library. We viewed traditional artwork, basketry, and materials documenting the Tribe as well as the college’s history. One item that especially stood out to me was a typed daily newsletter that the very first president of TMC, President Carty Monette, distributed to the campus community. It was a simple but meaningful glimpse into how the college stayed connected and shared information at that time. It was fascinating to see how the newsletter work I do today continues a long tradition of communication and storytelling within the TCU Movement, one practiced by one of its founders.

At the Anishinabe Campus, we learned more about the college’s agriculture and gardening programs and initiatives. Much of what we saw reflected traditional knowledge and the importance of caring for the land while creating unique resources for the community. The campus also operates community-centered activities such as farmer’s markets. It was a powerful example of how education at a TCU can reach far beyond the classroom.
Our visit also included an appliqué bag-making workshop organized through TMC. The workshop gave our team an opportunity to create something with our hands and spend time together outside of our usual work. We practiced using a sewing machine, which was new to me, and were able to learn a lot in such a short time! As our team’s responsibilities often include elements of design work, it was a fun challenge to put those skills towards a different medium. It was a meaningful team-building experience that also reinforced one of my biggest takeaways from the visit: so much is made possible through TCUs!

Leala P. With Completed Appliqué Bag

Leala P. With Completed Appliqué Bag

I left TMC feeling grateful for the welcome we received and for the opportunity to experience this site visit alongside my team. Although I grew up with Oglala Lakota College as part of my life, visiting Turtle Mountain College gave me a broader appreciation for the distinct ways each TCU reflects and serves its people and community. For my first site visit with the College Fund, I could not have asked for a more meaningful reminder of why this work matters.

Students Head Back to Class with College Fund Scholarships

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.