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Supportive College Planning Resources for Native American Families
Assisting Native American Families with Navigating College Planning
Native American families…many are paving the way for their children to become the first in their family to attend college. As a community, it’s our responsibility to support our youth in identifying colleges that embrace and respect our unique culture.
Most high schools college planning tools overlook essential factors like community building, cultural majors, language acquisition, Elders and kinship, and cultural practices/ceremonies. It is crucial for students to feel a cultural connection to the campus in order to have a positive and successful experience.
CollegeBound Journey™ helps Native American families identify culturally supportive resources to guide them through the college planning process.
How CollegeBound Journey™
Platform Supports Native American Families
Our platform is the only one of its kind designed to assist Native American families in finding culturally sensitive colleges, scholarships based on Native status, and pre-college programs that help Native teens prepare for college.
Link Native Youth To Colleges
Assisting Native American families in finding culturally-sensitive college choices is at the core of our trademark platform.
The CollegeBound Journey™ – College Search filters align with the recommendations described within The American Indian College Fund’s Creating Visibility and Healthy Learning Environments for Native Americans in Higher Education and the Native American College Student Transition Theory.
The CollegeBound Journey™ – College Search filters includes:
- Native American-Specific Programs of Study (over 70)
- Native American Language Course Offerings
- Culturally-Specific Support Staff and Spaces
- Native American Student Organizations and Greek Life
- Elder in Residence/Intergenerational Support on Campus
- Tuition Waivers for Native American Students
- Native American Living & Learning Communities
- Native American Teacher Preparation Programs
- and several other filters!
Ease Financial Barriers for Native American Families
Paying for college can pose a significant challenge for Native American families. To help ease this burden, CollegeBound Journey™ offers the Native American College Scholarships Database, which provides a comprehensive list of possible funding options to support the cost of college.
Scholarships included in the CollegeBound Journey™ database:
- Tribal Scholarships
- Private Scholarships based on Native American status
- State-Specific Indian Aid & Scholarship Programs
- Tuition Waiver Programs
- Full Tuition Programs
- In-State Tuition Programs
Enrichment Programs for Native American Students
Enrichment programs offer valuable experiences to students, which is especially true for Native American students. Pre-college programs, for instance, provide a safe environment where students can get a glimpse of college life and picture themselves attending college in the future. Similarly, culture and career camps allow students to learn as a community with cultural mentors.
Native American families can use CollegeBound Journey™ find these types of experiences.
CollegeBound Journey™ Pre-College & Enrichment Program Database includes:
- Pre-College Opportunities designed specifically for Native American students
- Language and Culture Camps
- Sustainable Energy and Food Sovereignty Experiences
- Youth Leadership Camps
- Campus Native American Recruitment Events
Considerations for Acquiring Funding:
- Johnson O'Malley Fund Request
- School District Indian Education Fund Request
- District Equity Office Special Fund Request
- Tribal Higher Education Department Fund Request