Winning scholars recognized for their
commitment to Native excellence and leadership on and off
campus.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., July 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Native Forward Scholars Fund, the largest direct
provider of scholarships to Native students, has announced the
winners of the 2023 Students of the Year Award. One undergraduate
and one graduate student each were honored for their success in
higher education and their contributions to the communities around
them:
- Stephen Silva-Brave
(Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian Reservation),
undergraduate degree in social work at the University of Texas at Arlington
- Breckin Horton (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), fourth-year medical student at the
Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York
Angelique Albert, CEO of Native
Forward Scholars Fund, said: "The Student of the Year Award
commemorates the achievements of student leaders that are actively
working to build a better world for all of us, and Stephen and
Breckin are inspiring scholars who we at Native Forward are honored
to recognize this year. I commend their dedication to cultural
preservation and the public good throughout their higher education
journeys, and am eager to continue supporting Native Forward
scholars at the Summit and beyond."
Since 2018, the award has recognized personal mission and
academic excellence. This year's awardees seek to undo generations
of systemic injustice perpetrated toward Native communities through
their respective professional pursuits.
The annual Empowering Scholars Summit is a free, three-day
immersion opportunity for Native Forward awardees to grow their
academic and professional expertise. The Summit seeks to be a space
where Native students can elevate their professional skills, expand
their social capital and networks, enhance their personal brand,
and develop an executive presence.
"Native Forward has helped lift the financial burden so I can
stay focused on the end goal," said awardee Stephen Silva-Brave. "Being a Native Forward
Scholar signifies more than financial support, though. It
represents a belief in my vision for a community where Indigenous
knowledge and social justice pave the way for healing and
empowerment."
"Native Forward has been an invaluable ally, empowering me to
pursue my aspirations while simultaneously addressing the pressing
needs of marginalized communities," said awardee Breckin Horton.
"Their support, spanning tuition assistance to exam fees and study
materials, has been instrumental in alleviating the financial
burdens associated with medical education, enabling me to focus
wholeheartedly on my academic pursuits and community
endeavors."
Native Forward Scholars Fund has delivered more
funding in direct scholarship dollars and support services to
American Indian and Alaska Native students in the U.S. than any
other scholarship provider. The Albuquerque-based nonprofit is committed to
ensuring that every Native student who wants to pursue higher
education has the resources to do so. Over 53 years, it has
empowered over 22,000 scholars from more than 500 Tribes in all 50
states and contributed to over 1,700 law degrees and more than
2,200 PhD degrees. Through scholarship funding and holistic
support, Native Forward has increased the graduation rates of
undergraduate students to 69%, compared to the national average of
41% for Native students, and has boosted the rate for graduate
students to 95%. The organization's alumni are among the most
influential Native leaders in the U.S., including Secretary of the
Interior Deb Haaland, Pulitzer Prize
finalist Tommy Orange, and Dr.
Cynthia Chavez Lamar, Director of
the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian.
Contact: Sara
LaBarge
(505)
881-4584
sara@nativeforward.org
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SOURCE Native Forward Scholars Fund