Preparing Indian Students for College by Alice A Karsama

Dean Chavers, Lumbee, Ph.D., director of the Native American Scholarship Fund, has presented many workshops on "Preparing Indian Students for College."
According to Dr. Chavers, available funds often go unclaimed and unawarded due to lack of applicants; and very few applications come from Native Americans. Chavers strongly encourages American Indians to apply, regardless of age, and even if their grade point averages are not high. Those with 2.6 and above GPAs should be encouraged to apply; since grade point averages are not always good indicators of success. "Many Native youth are simply late blossomers," said Chavers, "who will do fine in college."
"Very few Indian kids know what they want to do when they're 18," Chavers said. He advises them to think what they like to do best, and encourages them to do that.
Students still in high school or junior high should already be encouraged to start thinking ahead and preparing themselves for college. "Anyone who wants to go to school in this country can go," says Chavers. "The money's there."
Given $50,000 to spend on improving schools, he would spend it on reading. He'd "hire teachers, buy books, and do whatever it takes to reach those kids." This would help them become more familiar with the English language, and to build their vocabularies.
Junior High Students, grades 6-9, are the most receptive ages to involve in reading outreach. Chavers believes third graders should have more vocabulary drills and exercise, while high schoolers should have classes on career exploration, including when and how to apply for coleges and scholarships.

What is Chaver's advice to students?

• Go through the scholarship directories at the library; apply for as many scholarships as you can. There's no limit on how many you can apply for;

• Get school transcripts;

• Get your birth certificate;

• Get three letters of recommendations;

• Write a story about yourself;

• Then, set aside a Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon to fill out applications.

Call TTAP for the booklet, "Preparing Indian Students for College," and a scholarship information packet, or contact: Native American Scholarship Fund, Inc., 8200 Mountain Road, N.E., Suite 203, Albuquerque, NM 87110, Phone: (505) 262-2361, Fax: (505) 262-0534.

You can find additional scholarships and fellowships by accessing the Minority On-Line Information Service (MOLIS). Once at the main page, click on "scholarships." The MOLIS Web site is located at: http://www.sciencewise.com/molis. For help accessing Web sites, or for an information packet on scholarships mentioned in Pathways, call TTAP: 1-888-230-0688.

[Reprinted with permission from Alice A. Karsama as found in Winds of Change magazine, 7th Annual College Guide for American Indians, p. 74]

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