-- A non-profit is offering a series of scholarship programs aimed at Native American youths who need financial assistance for their college education.
More information is available at https://americanindianservices.org/students/ais-scholarship
AIS is offering Native American and Alaskan Native American youths an opportunity to preserve their history and be a role model for their communities by obtaining a college degree.
According to the group, Native Americans face numerous challenges within and outside their reservations, so its goal is to alleviate the financial stress they face in terms of attaining their higher education goals.
The group offers scholarships throughout the year and educational programs for different types of students. For undergraduates, its college scholarship provides enough funding for them to maintain their enrollment throughout college and graduate.
AIS also offers a summer school designed to prepare seventh and eighth grade students for higher education. Moreover, it has a mentoring program aimed at helping K-12th grade students enrolled in underperforming schools.
To qualify for the college scholarship, students must demonstrate their ancestry by having at least one-quarter of Indian blood. This requires one to be a member of a federally recognized tribe or a descendant of an enrolled member.
Interested applicants can find AIS’s headquarters at https://goo.gl/maps/4j4x1Eyg6ws8UjreA
AIS found that various Native American tribes are experiencing high levels of poverty and a scarcity of educational materials. In addition, some of their schools offer no classes in English, which puts them at a severe disadvantage.
In addition to these, Native Americans continue to be underrepresented in colleges across the nation, and even those who attend college have lower graduation rates, according to the group.
The Postsecondary National Policy Institute said only 16% of Native Americans have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and only 9% of students acquire associate degrees. It found that only 25% of Natives over 25 attained a degree in 2019, compared to 42% of all other people within the same age group.
“In order to encourage these pupils to enroll and finish their degrees, AIS scholarships exist,” the non-profit stated on its website.
Full details about the programs and their requirements can be found at https://americanindianservices.org or at the URL above.
Release ID: 88994165