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Shakopee Mdewakanton Announces 20 New Endowed Scholarship Recipients at University of Minnesota

Prior Lake, Minn. – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) today announced the newest class of SMSC Endowed Scholarship recipients at the University of Minnesota. These first-year scholarship recipients include 20 Native American students from 17 different tribes.

• Eight students are from Minnesota tribes.
• Eight are undergraduates, while 12 are graduate students.
• Five attend the Twin Cities campus and four attend the Morris campus.
• Eleven students attend the University of Minnesota Duluth, including seven who are enrolled in the Master of Tribal Administration and Governance program.

The new scholarship recipients include the following students, with majors ranging from social work and psychology to education and English:

• Dwight Bero, Jr., Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
• Lauretta Blakely, Moose Cree First Nation
• Lucas Bratvold, Red Lake Nation
• Jolene Chestnut, White Earth Nation
• Afton Delgado, Oglala Sioux Tribe
• Demi Dumarce, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate
• Sylvia Fred, Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California
• Castrenze Fricano, Chickasaw Nation
• Craig Gilbert, Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
• Erica Guthrie, Metlakatla Indian Community
• Laurie Harper, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
• Kylee Harrison, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe/Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
• Wendy Jourdain, Red Lake Nation
• Veronica Kingbird, Red Lake Nation
• Crystal Littlewolf, White Earth Nation
• Jordan Morrison, Big Grassy River First Nation
• Kaitlyn Pearson, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
• Madison Smith, Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
• Joseph Tahdooahnippah, Comanche Nation of Oklahoma
• Nathaniel Taylor, Red Lake Nation

“As an SMSC scholarship recipient, I’ve been given more freedom to pursue my goals. Without financial help, I wouldn’t be able to study and grow as a student and leader. Everyone wants to feel a sense of financial stability, and this support has given me peace of mind and the confidence to continue my journey,” said Mica Standing Soldier, a third-year SMSC scholar from the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. “It’s an opportunity that I appreciate deeply.”

The SMSC established the endowed scholarship in 2009 through a $2.5 million gift. The gift leveraged a former University matching program that doubles the impact of the gift to students. To date, the SMSC scholarship has supported 179 talented Native American students who demonstrate financial need. The University's Office for Equity and Diversity administers the scholarship.

About the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is a federally-recognized, sovereign Indian tribe located southwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul. With a focus on being a good neighbor, good steward of the earth, and good employer, the SMSC is committed to community partnerships, charitable donations, a healthy environment, and a strong economy. The SMSC and the SMSC Gaming Enterprise (Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Little Six Casino) is the largest employer in Scott County. Out of a Dakota tradition to help others, the SMSC has also donated more than $300 million to organizations and causes since 1992, funds its own infrastructure, and contributes generously to regional governments and infrastructure, such as roads, water and sewer systems, and emergency services.