HIGHER EDUCATION

Higher Education Scholarship Program 

Our goal is to support tribal members from the Bering Strait/Norton Sound region in pursuit of their academic aspirations and achieving success through Postsecondary Education. The Kawerak Higher Education program is committed to support education and provide the highest level of services to students through active communication, coordination, education information, planning and guidance, and partnerships with other MyCache organizations.

Scholarships are provided per semester to eligible tribal members of the Bering Strait/Norton Sound region who are accepted for enrollment into an accredited college or university full-time or part-time. Students are required to submit an application through the MyCache portal for each semester, deadline schedule is listed below. Scholarships are sent directly to the school and applied toward tuition, fees, housing, meal plans, and other academic costs.

Scholarship Application Deadlines

• Fall semester: June 30
• Spring semester: December 1
• Summer semester: May 15

Scholarship Amounts

• Full-time scholarships are $1500/semester
• Part-time scholarships are $750/semester

*Scholarships amounts are as funding allows and subject to change.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must be a tribal member of a Bering Strait region tribe in Kawerak’s consortium. (Nome Eskimo Community tribal members are not eligible for Kawerak’s scholarship and must apply at their local office.)
• Must be accepted for enrollment into a degree program at an accredited college or university.

Initial/New* Application Process

• Submit the MyCache Scholarship Common Application online.
• Complete the Kawerak Eligibility form online through the MyCache portal.
• Upload the following documents to the MyCache portal:
  • Verification of Tribal Enrollment (see your local IRA).
  • High School Diploma or GED Diploma and any previous College Transcripts
  • A Letter of Acceptance or Admissions from an accredited College or University
  • Two Letters of Recommendation
  • Current Class Schedule
  • Current Photo (optional)

Applications are not considered complete until all required documentation is received. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure the application and documents are received. Kawerak staff will connect with applicants regarding their application status. If applicants have questions regarding their application, please contact staff at he@kawerak.org or 907-434-6919.

*Applicants are considered new if they have not received a Kawerak Higher Education Scholarship within the past year. Please contact our office if you have questions, he@kawerak.org.

Continuing Scholarships

To confirm eligibility and renew your scholarship for the next semester, students must submit the MyCache scholarship common application and Kawerak Eligibility Form on the MyCache portal. In order to qualify for renewal, students must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA each term and meet the minimum credits to be considered full- or part-time.

Contact

Brandi Wheelehan
bwheelehan@kawerak.org
907-434-6919

Higher Education Team
he@kawerak.org
907-443-5231

As a strategic priority and goal, Kawerak is committed to Growing and Developing Our Own Educators to further build upon culturally effective, relevant, and responsive educational systems and increase impact within our region and communities. 

Eligibility Criteria:

• A resident of the Bering Strait region.
• Applicants must be tribally enrolled in the Bering Strait region (tribal members of the Nome Eskimo Community must apply there).
•  Applicants must be accepted into a degree program that would qualify you to become a certified teacher at an accredited institution. 
• Undergraduate applicants must have already completed 36 credit hours toward their degree program. 
• Undergraduate applicants must be registered for at least 12 credit hours and have a minimum cumulative and current 2.5 GPA.
• Graduate applicants must be a full-time student in their degree program and have a minimum cumulative and current 2.5 GPA.

Applicants will be asked to Provide:

• Kawerak Teacher Education Scholarship Application (can be found on the MyCache website: www.my-cache.org).
• Personal Essay should demonstrate clear goals to work toward becoming a certified teacher and why you choose this pathway. 
•  All other required documents to qualify for Kawerak’s Higher Education Scholarship. 

Scholar Selection and Notification:

• Applications are reviewed and awarded each semester.
• Each applicant will receive notification of their award status.
• Due to the competitiveness of the scholarship program, additional criteria may be used to make a final selection and determination of awardees. This may include: essay response, academic performance, degree progression, date of graduation, etc.

Scholar Requirements and Maintaining Eligibility:

• In order to remain eligible, applicants must maintain full time status and a 2.5 GPA. 
• Students on probationary status will not be considered eligible.

To be eligible, tribal members must be enrolled at an accredited college or university pursuing a degree in professional piloting or enrolled at an established flight training school pursuing professional flight training to become a commercial pilot in the Bering Strait region.

Kawerak will issue five-$3,000 scholarships until funds run out. A one-time scholarship will be used specifically for flight time and issued directly to flight training school. Applicants are only eligible for one award. However, Kawerak has other funding available to continue training.

Eligibility Criteria:

• A resident of the Bering Strait region.**
• Applicants must be tribally enrolled with a village in the Bering Strait region (tribal members of the Nome Eskimo Community must apply there).
• Applicants must be accepted into a degree program at an accredited institution or training program at an established flight school.
• Applicant must have at least 20 hours (50% of the required hours) completed for a PPL

Applicants will be Asked to Provide:

• Kawerak Aviation Scholarship application (can be found on the MyCache website: www.my-cache.org)
• Personal essay to include clear goals to work toward becoming a commercial pilot and why you choose this pathway.
• Two letters of recommendation (preferably from ground school instructor or professional in the airline industry)
• Flight log to show 50% of total hours are complete
• Letter from established flight school

**Note: This program is for regional residents. Students working on their private pilot license, with the goal of becoming a commercial pilot, who lived in-region but are currently attending college or flight school out of region, are still eligible to apply.