WIGA Scholarship Application Now Open for 2022-2023 School Year

January 10, 2022

The Washington Indian Gaming Association (WIGA) Scholarship Program will award up to $70,000 for Native American and Alaska Native students for the 2022 – 2023 academic school year.

Applicants must be students who are enrolled members of one of Washington’s 29 federally recognized tribes or American Indian/Alaska Native students enrolled in a federally recognized tribe that are attending school in Washington State. The scholarships are awarded to students pursuing degrees at community and technical, bachelor, and graduate colleges and universities.

A selection committee composed of WA Tribal Leaders will review and select the award recipients.  The Scholarships generally range from $900 – $3,000 for each academic year. Recipients are announced in the late spring.

“We are pleased to contribute to tribal members’ education,” said WIGA Chairman, W. Ron Allen. “We had so many qualified applicants to choose from each year. While it will make our selection process difficult, it also reflects the growing qualifications among tribal members to attend institutions of higher education.”

WIGA educates the Indian gaming community, the public and all levels of government about gaming issues in Indian country. The WIGA Scholarship Program is designed to promote tribal self-sufficiency by providing scholarships for Native American students in Washington seeking to advance their own self-sufficiency and broaden their personal and professional potential through higher education.

If you have any questions please contact Rosina DePoe, Deputy Director at 360-352-3248 or email her at [email protected]

Application is available here.

 

The Washington Indian Gaming Association Awards 34 Scholarships to Native American Students

June 30, 2021

Today the Washington Indian Gaming Association (WIGA) announced the awarding of $60,000 in scholarships to 34 Native American students for the 2021-2022 school year. This includes seven students attending graduate school, 23 university students, and four students enrolled in community, trade, or technical colleges.

“These exceptional students have overcome a great deal to get this far – COVID has really taken a toll and what these awardees have accomplished is remarkable,” said Josi Ward, Hoh Tribal Business Council Treasurer and WIGA scholarship selection committee member.

WIGA is a non-profit Indian gaming association in Washington state committed to advancing the lives of Indian peoples — economically, socially, and politically. Over the past 13 years, WIGA has awarded almost $1 million in scholarship funding for Native American students in Washington. These awards promote tribal self-sufficiency by advancing student potential and broadening higher education opportunities.

Enrolled members of the WIGA tribes, and state residents enrolled in other tribes, are eligible.

This year’s scholarship recipients are listed below:

Community/Trade/Technical Colleges Scholarship Winners

  • Jaden Phair-Williams, Lummi Nation, NWIC – Associates
  • Tabitha Herda, Makah Tribe, Peninsula College
  • Jasmine Barnes, Suquamish Tribe, Pierce College
  • Danielle Waters, Wyandotte Nation, NWIC – Associates

Undergraduate Program Scholarship Winners

  • Jessica Day, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, University of Washington
  • Krista Marchand, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Central WA University
  • Raven Clark, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Gonzaga University
  • Rylee Desautel, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Columbia Basin College
  • Vanessa Ankney, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, WA State University
  • Amaria Rosado, Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, University of California Berkeley
  • Mishani Jack-Gonzalez, Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, WA State University
  • Alexi Wilson, Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Duke University
  • Anthony Martinez, Makah Tribe, University of Notre Dame
  • Cole Svec, Makah Tribe, University of Washington
  • Freddy III Brown, Makah Tribe, University of Montana
  • Grace Buzzell, Makah Tribe, Stanford University
  • Laila Greene, Makah Tribe, The University of Washington
  • Tobias Croy, Makah Tribe, University of Puget Sound
  • Shilaily Woodruff, Quileute Tribe, Gonzaga, University of Hawaii Manoa
  • Javier Ramirez, Quinault Indian Nation, University of Oregon
  • Lily-Rose Day, Samish Indian Nation, University of Washington
  • Sophia TurningRobe, Spokane Tribe of Indians, Whitworth University
  • Hali-Aleetsah Deam, Suquamish Tribe, WA State University

Undergraduate Renewal Scholarship Winners

  • Hailey Crow, Suquamish Tribe, WA State University
  • Patricia Hill, Spokane Tribe of Indians, University of Washington
  • Benjamin Poplin, Quinault Indian Nation, Pacific Lutheran University
  • Frances Ward, Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, WA State University

Graduate Program Scholarship Winners

  • Landon Charlo, Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Indian Nation, Washington State University
  • Alexis Harris, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, University of Washington
  • Emma Johnson, Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Portland State University
  • Tleena Ives, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, Gonzaga University
  • Samantha Rae, Quinault Indian Nation, Oregon State University
  • Sequoia Dance, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, Washington State University
  • Julia Wilson-Peltier, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, University of North Dakota