Yocha Dehe gift boosts Native American Studies scholarships
STUDENT SUCCESS
Dixie Reid
“It’s touching and powerful that a California Native nation invests in and believes so much in the education of Sacramento State students that they make a donation with life-changing implications.”
Sacramento State’s Native American Studies scholarship program will continue to grow, thanks to a $750,000 gift from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.
Tribal Chairman Anthony Roberts presented a check to University President Robert S. Nelsen and Annette Reed, professor and director of Native American Studies, during a spring 2019 luncheon in The WELL’s Terrace Suite.
“We want to provide valuable support for young Hornets as they seek to grow, expand their horizons, and become a part of our next generation of leaders,” Roberts said. “We certainly hope to assist Native American students as they pursue their dreams and build their, and their tribes’, futures.”
The Native American Studies Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation scholarships are available to all undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of major. Recipients must complete a Native American Studies course during the year.
The tribe’s gift will allow the program to offer minimum $2,000 scholarships to individual recipients each semester, a significant increase from the current $1,000 students may receive per semester.
“It’s touching and powerful that a California Native nation invests in and believes so much in the education of Sacramento State students that they make a donation with life-changing implications,” Reed said. “We have students who are having a difficult time financially, so when that check comes in, they’re able to get through the semester.”
Students can minor in Native American Studies or pursue a Native American Studies concentration that will lead to a bachelor of arts in ethnic studies.
The tribe’s financial support of Sacramento State dates to 2001, when the then-Rumsey Indian Rancheria of Wintun Indians of California helped fund the California Indian Conference held on campus. In 2006, the tribe gave $250,000 for scholarships and support to the Native American Studies program.
