Ceremony Celebrates 277 Scholarship Recipients
K’eegwaadhat t’aih shats’an ahtsii…Yeendaa leii agwahal’ee geenjit. Nigwizhii, nich’eet’eegwiniindhan khit shaa’ooli’.
God give me strength…So I may learn much in the future. May your wisdom and love always be with me. (Gwich’in)
These are the words that marked the start of the 2015 Doyon Foundation Scholarship Award Ceremony on September 11 in Fairbanks. Allan Hayton, the Foundation’s language revitalization program director, wrote the prayer as a blessing for the students as they began a new semester.
The ceremony, which took place in the Doyon Industrial Facility cafeteria, celebrated the Foundation’s 277 fall scholarship recipients. A total of $342,000 in scholarships, including full-time basic, part-time basic and competitive scholarships, was awarded this fall. These were the first awarded since the Foundation board approved a significant increase of scholarship amounts earlier this year. Read more about the increase on the Foundation blog.
Among the scholarships awarded was the Vincent Troy Williams Memorial Scholarship, created in memory of Vincent “Troy” Williams by his sister, Kristie Williams-Cuttriss. Vincent was just 24 years old when he died in a work-related accident on the North Slope in 1987.
“We created the scholarship because we know that what we give and what others give today will collectively help future generations attend college. Creating this opportunity for others is important not only for our family personally, but for our entire community,” said Williams-Cuttriss.
Approximately 50 people attended the celebration, including about a dozen scholarship recipients. Among the guests were alumna speaker Jessica Black, a PhD candidate in social work and an assistant professor/special projects liaison in the Office of the Vice Chancellor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), and student speaker Joseph Bifelt, a Committee’s Choice competitive scholarship recipient and student at UAF pursuing a bachelor’s degree in secondary education.
The event also included acknowledgement of the Foundation’s donors and supporters. The Foundation extended a special thank you to Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), which doubled its donation to the Foundation’s health competitive scholarship from $5,000 to $10,000 this year.
The ceremony culminated with introductions by the scholarship recipients in attendance, a post-ceremony reception, and a photo booth where students, staff and supporters showed off their silly side by wearing props and holding an oversized scholarship check.
“This is an exciting day, and the Doyon Foundation team thought the photo booth would be a fun addition to the celebration,” said Doris Miller, the Foundation’s executive director.
Alumna speaker Jessica Black
Pictured left to right in the back row are Peter Charlie, Juanita Esmailka, Raymond Kangas, Adam Paskvan, Jordan Craddick and Joe Bifelt. Front row, left to right, are Maurine McGinty, Deanna Mayo, Alea Hale, Skyla Powers, Selina Sam and Elizabeth Jerue.