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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News & Events

How Does the Department of Education Impact Higher Education?

Last week we shared the “Dear Colleague” letter here from the current Administration’s Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Education following the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders on Radical Indoctrination and anti-DEI actions. The letter advised schools with federal grants and contracts that the Department considers any decisions or benefits based on race, color, or national origin to be a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A preliminary injunction was issued after a legal challenge brought by several organizations challenging the letter’s unconstitutionality, including the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, American Association of University Professors, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, and the City of Baltimore.

Many organizations like the American Indian College Fund, in addition to those who challenged the Executive Order in court, reaffirmed their values which are grounded in the belief that we all contribute to the common good through education. Here at the College Fund we believe all Native people who desire an education deserve the opportunity to ensure their participation in a strong, economically thriving, democratic nation.

In addition to these events, the efforts by the Trump Administration to diminish and eventually dismantle the Department of Education are of deep concern across all education communities. So exactly what is the role of the Department of Education? How does it impact education (and specifically Native students, of which a majority rely upon grants and scholarships to access college) in America? And why are accessibility and inclusion important to students and America?

Simply put, the Department of Education oversees programs and policies at public schools to ensure students access to a higher education, while protecting the quality of that education through oversight to ensure students get a quality, accredited degree.

America prides itself on being a land of opportunity regardless of one’s racial, religious, cultural, or financial background. The Department of Education provides financial resources for students from modest means to access higher education through federal grants, loans, and work-study opportunities. Students who may have been precluded from a brighter future can afford a higher education and get one—and contribute to a more competitive, productive, and qualified American workforce.

By setting quality standards and recognizing accrediting agencies to ensure students are getting a quality education, the Department protects students, taxpayers, lenders, and the nation.

By enforcing student civil rights, the Department ensures higher education institutions do not discriminate in the application process, on campus, in housing, and in the classroom.

And by gathering and analyzing data about higher education, the Department informs educational policy in the United States, including funding for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs, research education opportunities, and more.

After the issue of the Trump Administration’s Executive Order, many institutions complied in advance to illegal and unconstitutional dictates delineated in a Dear Colleague letter. As Federal Judge Adam B. Abelson explained in a nationwide preliminary injunction on Donald Trump’s January 21 Executive Order attacking Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, the First and Fifth Amendment forbid the President’s attempt to impose his views on the nation through attempts to restrict speech, without clarity or justification, while disregarding the impact to the citizens he was elected to serve.

So how did the EO impact our nation and TCU communities in just a short time?

    • It put the jobs and livelihoods of countless educators, education professionals, students, and communities at risk.
    • It sought to establish a legal framework to attack anyone or any organization that celebrates diversity or attempts to give all students a fair chance, according to the mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, who joined the legal action.
    • Many individuals and institutions censored themselves for fear of losing federal funding or being targeted by federal investigations for ensuring inclusive education policies and practice. Not incidentally, inclusion is one of the goals of federal anti-discrimination laws which have been uncontroversial and legally recognized for decades in education.

Of course, as educators we want students and institutions to follow the law—and to have our national leaders do so, too. At the American Indian College Fund, we will continue to adhere to our values. For that reason, we will continue to share what is happening in the courts and continue to call upon and thank our supporters, students, and communities who help ensure Native students’ access to a life-changing higher education.

We would also thank the private sector supporters who stand with us and call upon them to continue to support Native higher education, ensuring our students continue to have the opportunity to make their dreams a reality.

What you can do: · Please share our blog link and social media feeds with your networks (found at the top of our website at collegefund.org)

    • Ask your networks to continue to monitor issues impacting Native higher education on our page and in the media.
    • Ask your networks to join us and add their voices to support equitable, affordable education, the Department of Education, and issues impacting tribal colleges.

 

Read the Complaint for Injunctive and Declaratory Relief and the Memorandum of Law in Support of Plaintiffs’ Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order.

President Cannot Impinge on First Amendment Rights

Please help spread the word that it is illegal and unconstitutional for the President to unilaterally halt federal funding to K-12 or #HigherEd due to participation in to lawful protests, and to imprison, deport, or expel protesters peacefully exercising their First Amendment right to free speech, association, and petition for the redress of grievances. The American Indian College Fund stands with NCAN in support of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

ICE Raids Negatively Impact American Indians

Recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids have raised the alarms for Tribes whose citizens are being unjustly detained and questioned. The Trump Administration claims raids target illegal immigrants with criminal histories, however, at least some agents are making judgments based on appearance, including the skin color and language of an individual rather than concrete information about immigration status or criminal record.

There have been reports of Native individuals being detained by ICE based upon their appearance and ICE officers limited or non-existent understanding of the status of Natives as U.S. citizens. Both Navajo and Mescalero tribal members have been reportedly stopped.

To have Native people be harassed by immigration officials, have their citizenship status questioned, or be mocked by online trolls saying to “send them home” speaks to the lack of education about Indigenous peoples by a large portion of the population. Proposed plans to eliminate or overhaul the education system in ways that would ignore accurate history around Native Americans won’t help this situation.

What can Natives do to protect themselves?

    • Carry your Tribal ID. Tribes are urging the Trump Administration to direct ICE to accept tribal IDs as proof of U.S. citizenship. For some, especially elders who may have been born in remote homes and who struggle to obtain a birth certificate, this is the best option.
    • Carrying a state ID along with a Certificate of Indian Blood in addition to a Tribal ID is advised for those who have them.
    • Know you have the right to remain silent and refuse any search.
    • You do not have to open the door of your home to ICE agents unless they have a valid warrant signed by a judge.
    • Be sure to consistently check for updates from your Tribal government and organizations like the Native American Rights Fund to get updated information and tips to stay safe.
    • Share this post! Help spread this message so it reaches as many people as possible.

 

Correction: Like most readers, we monitor the news and how it impacts our communities in real time. We strive for accuracy but corrected our blog once further information was released about the reported incident. The purpose of the blog, however, is unchanged: ensuring the safety and comfort of Native students based on breaking news and the advice of Tribal nations. We continue to urge our students to contact their Tribal government offices to obtain a tribal identification card if they qualify, and to carry both their state and tribal identification cards with them. We also continue to emphasize that important point that Native people are citizens of both the United States and their Native Nations.