The Native American Scholarship Fund
Fewer Native American students enroll in college compared to the overall U.S. population, and contrary to public perception, college is not free for Native Americans. Recognizing the generations of disparity between the original caretakers of this land and the settlers who moved here, Sarah Mccarter and Tim Holliday wanted to create a fund to support education for Native students. “I'm a big believer in education, and it is important to me to help people who didn't have the same historical advantages as my family,” said Sarah.
When making plans for her estate, she wanted to create a way to help Native students, so she and Tim designed the Native American Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation.
As part of a legacy gift, the fund wasn't slated to be opened until after Sarah's lifetime. However, a few anonymous donors believed it was an important scholarship to have in place and provided funding to open the scholarship fund early, which thrilled Sarah and Tim. Now active, the fund awarded its first three scholarships this year.
Alice Douglas, a Ukiah High School student from the Wiyot Tribe, is one of the recipients and will be heading to Cal Poly Humboldt. “In the future I see myself working with communities to teach awareness of the importance of ecological health,” said Alice. “I would like to work in an environmental science field because I am absolutely fascinated by the inter-connectedness of every single thing on this earth. Being a member of the Wiyot Tribe I
feel a connection bigger than myself, and a sense of duty to protect the land that has served my family for generations. I have always felt an obligation to protect those without a voice and the environment needs advocates to ensure a healthy future climate.”
Timothy Franklin, a Ukiah High School student from the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, will be the first person in his family to attend a fouryear university. “My goal is to attend a good law program and specialize in Native American tribal law,” said Timothy. “I want to come home to serve my community and the local tribes.”
Bazook Rodriguez, a Ukiah High School student from the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians, is planning to attend San Francisco State University. “My goal is to attend a four-year school majoring in economics,” said Bazook. “I believe starting with the economy and discovering how it works with towns, cities, and countries, can be the starting point of developing new ways to improve people's lives.”
These students all demonstrate a spirit to give back despite personal circumstances, and a passion to grow their own knowledge and skill sets to support Native communities, exactly what Sarah and Tim dreamed of when they designed the scholarship. “My hope is that this scholarship will help people continue to become better educated, including in the trades, and to better support their families and our Mendocino County communities,” said Sarah. “Overall I hope it helps to enable future generations of kids to have opportunities for education that previous generations didn't necessarily have.”
“I want to encourage people,” Sarah said. “Both young and old, to give back to the community, and help others by donating or volunteering.” The Native American Scholarship Fund has already rippled into our community through its first three recipients, and it will continue to grow with planned gifts like Sarah and Tim's, promising to make a permanent impact on the lives of Native American students in Mendocino County for generations to come.