New Native American Student Guides Pave Road To College Success With Financial Aid and Money-Management Tips

American Indian College Fund
Friday, 15 October 1999

The four-booklet "Developing Your Vision" series targets current & future Native American college students

DENVER (October 15, 1999)—A student in New Mexico is working on a college degree so he can run his own business. A graduate says the key to winning scholarships is hard work and vigilance with deadlines. A student on a tight budget keeps a list of things he needs and things he wants. Another says she wants a degree so she can better help her people. These stories are part of a special, new series of student handbooks designed to provide both inspiration and financial education to American Indian college students.

Entitled "Developing Your Vision While Attending College," the series of four handbooks is co-published by the American Indian College Fund and the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE). The handbooks take students step-by-step through the process of deciding to go to college and, once enrolled, learning about financial aid and money management. For Native American students, the series uniquely promotes success in college by featuring stories of personal struggle and of how educational and cultural success are intertwined.

The series will be formally unveiled at the annual conference of the National Indian Education Association on Tuesday, Oct. 19, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The conference is the largest gathering of Indian educators and students nationwide.

"We believe these handbooks will inspire Indian students," said Richard Williams, executive director of the American Indian College Fund. "The goal of a college education is to give people a better life. Thanks to the National Endowment for Financial Education, these handbooks will help more Indian students pursue their vision."

NEFE originally approached the College Fund, the nation's largest provider of Indian scholarships, about partnering on a financial education project targeted to Native Americans. The result is four, 32-page booklets designed to be as visually inviting as they are informative.

"Since ancient times, Indian heritage and culture have been passed from generation to generation. That tradition still exists today," said Brent Neiser, CFP, NEFE'S director of collaborative programs. "But in the 21st century, most Native Americans know they must find additional knowledge through education. Through a thoughtful blending of personal financial planning information and traditional and contemporary tribal values, the series of booklets helps guide Native American students toward a college education--allowing them to develop their potential and earn a respected place in their community and tribe."

In addition to statistics and worksheets, the booklets feature stories of Native student role models as diverse as a U.S. Senator, a father of five who both works and goes to school full-time, and a 55-year-old grandmother who has returned to college.

Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell is seen riding on horseback in front of the nation's Capitol, where the Northern Cheyenne tribal member serves as the first Indian elected to the Senate in 60 years.

"I literally came up from the street to the halls of Congress by determining to get an education…," he says in book one, "Making the Decision to Attend College."

The other books in the series are titled "Paying for a College Education," "Managing Your Money," and "Choosing Your Path."

NEFE has co-published other financial education series with organizations including the American Cancer Society, Girl Scouts USA and Habitat for Humanity. NEFE is an independent nonprofit organization committed to educating Americans about personal finance and empowering them to make positive and sound decisions to reach financial goals. The National Endowment for Financial Education and NEFE are federally registered service marks of the National Endowment for Financial Education. For more information, visit www.nefe.org.

The American Indian College Fund is the largest provider of privately-funded Indian college scholarships in the country. With its credo "educating the mind and spirit," the College Fund was originally created to support 30 U.S. tribal colleges and universities. These unique higher education institutions are dedicated to fighting the high rates of poverty, educational failure and cultural loss confronting Native Americans. The College Fund also is a partner in the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, the largest minority scholarship effort of its kind. Based in Denver, the College Fund raises support from more than 200 foundations and corporations and 90,000 individual Americans.

For more information, or to contact American Indian College Fund, see their website at: www.collegefund.org