College Fund inspires TCU students and first-gen scholars to better their communities

POSTED ON May 18, 2022

During a recent virtual ceremony, the American Indian College Fund honored Tribal College and University Students of the Year and Coca-Cola First Generation Scholars. Each honoree received a $1,200 scholarship. In 2020-21, the College Fund provided $15.5 million in scholarships and other direct student support to American Indian students.

“Each year, my heart is filled by the joy of supporting our Coca-Cola First Generation Scholars and Students of the Year,” said Cheryl Crazy Bull, president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, in a statement. “Each of these students represents not only themselves and their families but also their tribal nations. They are the living proof of our ability to thrive and prosper in the face of tremendous challenges. We look forward to the continued great things they will do with their lives and for our communities.”

Since its founding in 1989, the College Fund has provided more than $259 million in scholarships, programmatic, and community support. The fund also supports a variety of academic and support programs at the nation’s 35 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations.

This year, the College Fund partnered with the Adolph Coors Foundation to sponsor scholarships for Tribal College and University Students of the Year. Tribal colleges and universities select one student representing their institutions.

The Coca-Cola Foundation also sponsored scholarships for first-generation Native students who attend a tribal college or university. The scholarship is renewable throughout students’ college careers if they maintain a 3.0-grade point average and are active in campus and community life.

Since 1990, the Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded more than $5 million to the College Fund to assist more than 400 first-generation Native Americans in their college education.

The 2021-22 Tribal College Students of the Year come from various Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), including the Institute of American Indian Arts, Navajo Technical University, Nebraska Indian Community College, Northwest Indian College, Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College, Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, and United Tribes Technical College.

The 2021-22 Coca-Cola First Generation Scholars are from Aaniiih Nakoda College, Blackfeet Community College, Diné College, Fort Peck Community College, Haskell Indian Nations University, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College, Leech Lake Tribal College, and Sitting Bull College.

A recent report by the American Indian College Fund and Gallup found that educational inequality means that many higher education institutions are failing to meet the needs of underrepresented students to help them thrive.

The Alumni of Tribal Colleges and Universities Better Their Communities report presented actionable findings colleges and universities can use to develop the experiences students need to enhance their wellbeing, engagement, and community ties.

Representing the views of more than 500 American Indian alumni from nine TCUs, the study measures perceptions of the impact of a TCU education and graduates’ current well-being and employment outcomes. These outcomes are then connected to crucial student experiences necessary for holistic, long-term success.

Key findings:

TCU alumni are nearly two times more likely than their peers nationally to thrive in all elements of wellbeing.

TCU alumni give back to their own community. Seventy-four percent report being primarily employed in areas related to American Indian communities or tribal lands, and many work directly with their tribe.

TCU alumni are significantly more likely than graduates nationally to say their alma mater prepared them well for life outside of college.

TCU alumni benefitted from their campus’ unique climate, as they are twice as likely as American Indian graduates nationally to have been supported while obtaining a degree.