Canku Ota - June 5, 2004 - Morongo Tribe To Present $30,000 In Scholarship Funds To Native American Students at Ceremony Tuesday, May 25th;

	Canku Ota
	(Many Paths)
	An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
	June 5, 2004 - Issue 114


	Morongo Tribe To Present $30,000 In Scholarship Funds To Native American Students at Ceremony Tuesday, May 25th; Scholarship Program First Of its Kind In California
	by Erin Kettle: (310) 226-3063
	photo credits: 1. Recipients of the Rodney T. Mathews Jr. Memorial Scholarship are Karan D. Kolb-Williamson, Ruby Tuttle and Ki-Shan D. Lara. The background is filled with family of the recipients(on the left) and relatives of Rodney Mathews (on the right).; 2. Recipients of the Rodney T Mathews Jr. Memorial Scholarship are Karan D. Kolb-Williamson, Ruby Tuttle and Ki-Shan D. Lara (left to right). Photos by Douglas Park

May 25, 2004, Morongo Indian Reservation, Banning, California – Creating a new program designed to provide financial support for California Native American students statewide, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians has launched a scholarship program unique in the state. Three Indian students will be the first recipients of this innovative effort when they are presented with $30,000 in scholarship funds by the Morongo tribal council today.

Many tribes have created scholarship programs to assist their own members and there are some federal scholarship programs, however Morongo is the first tribe to create an academic scholarship program available to any enrolled member of a California Indian tribe who is a full-time student at an accredited college or university. Applicants are also required to have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75; must complete 60 hours with a designated California Indian community agency; and be actively involved in the Native American community.

“Education is such a serious priority for all Native Americans that we felt it was important to make scholarship funds accessible to all qualified Indian students no matter what tribe they were from,” said Morongo tribal chairman Maurice Lyons. “Education opens the door to having choices in life and we wanted to help open the doors to tribal youth from all California tribes.”

According to Morongo scholarship administrator Bill Cornelius, seventeen applications from thirteen different tribes were received by the tribe when it published its scholarship application in late February with applications due April 1, 2004.

Three recipients -- Karan D. Kolb-Williamson, a member of the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians enrolled at the University of Phoenix; Ruby Tuttle, a member of the Yurok Tribe enrolled at Humboldt State University; and Ki-Shan D. Lara, a member of the Hupa Valley Tribe enrolled at Arizona State University – were selected as the first recipients to receive the Morongo funds.

“Self-reliance is making education possible for Indian tribes,” explained Lyons. “Right now we are graduating more high school students than ever before. We operate a HeadStart program for pre-schoolers, provide tutoring programs for elementary and high school students; offer adult education classes and university degrees through a scholarship program for tribal members. Establishing this academic scholarship program for a broader spectrum of Native Americans seemed like the logical next step.”

Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians tribal member Karan Kolb-Williamson is working on a business degree at the University of Phoenix so she can continue her work in social services with Indian Child Welfare Act program. Yurok tribal member Ruby Tuttle is studying molecular biology at Humboldt State University with the goal of becoming a doctor. Hupa Valley tribal member Ki-Shan Lara is pursuing an educational degree at Arizona State University so she can work to restore and protect Native American languages.

The presentation of scholarships will take place at 10:30 a.m. during a formal session of the Morongo Tribal Council at the tribal hall located just north of the tribal administration at 11581 Potrero Road.

The Rodney T. Mathews, Jr. Memorial Scholarship program is named in honor of Morongo tribal member Rodney T. Mathews Lyons who passed away last year. Mathews was a graduate of Hastings Law School and served as a judge pro tem for more than a decade.

It provides up to $10,000 for the 2004-2005 academic years and was established to assist California Indian students with the pursuit of their education through the granting of competitive and meritorious based financial scholarships. The fund provides three awards of $10,000 each to support California Indian students who want to continue their education. Scholarships are granted to eligible applicants on a yearly basis and each award is for a 12-month period, renewable for a second year pending demonstration of exceptional progress. Deadline for the 2005 cycle is Tuesday, April 1, 2005 and the application can be downloaded at www.morongonation.org

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