Samantha

(Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah)

Samantha grew up attending Tribal Council meetings with her mother and listened to countless hours of discussions on the laws and policies that undermine the sovereignty and well-being of her people. As a member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah, colonial history covers Samantha’s ancestral homelands and the visual reminders of that era highlight what Samantha knows to be much more far reaching in scope – Native people today still suffer from the intentionally oppressive and repressive policies written into place hundreds of years ago. But Samantha is determined to use the same tools that have for so long held Native communities back to instead help them move forward.

By pursuing her Juris Doctor degree at Harvard Law School, she will have the tools she needs to fight for her people in a way those before her could not – despite her tribes close proximity to Harvard, no member of her tribe has ever graduated from their law school. Even though this will be a long and hard journey, Samantha knows it is what she must do for the future of her tribe and all Native peoples.

Our Purpose

We have one unwavering purpose – increasing the number of American Indians who hold college degrees. Nearly 15.5% of American Indians have a college degree – less than half the national average. Every year, we empower more than 4,000 American Indian students to start and stay in school, complete their degrees and launch careers that benefit us all. We have provided 153,890 scholarships and $283.7 million to support American Indian communities. We intend to double our impact in the next five years. Join us and help a student today.

About Us

We are the nation’s largest and highest-rated American Indian nonprofit organization changing the face of higher education today – one American Indian at a time. We provide more scholarships to American Indians than anyone else, and we’re the only organization that enhances this individualized financial support by funding accredited, tribally controlled colleges and universities and contributing to programs that ensure student success — starting before the first day of preschool and continuing beyond a student’s first day of their first career job.