The American Indian College Fund (College Fund) honored 34 tribal college and university (TCU) students of the year and 35 Coca Cola First Generation Scholars at a ceremony held on March 9 in Rapid City, South Dakota. Dr. Carla Sineway, president of Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College in Michigan, was also named the College Fund’s 2024-25 TCU president honoree of the year. These individuals represent the passion, determination, and community spirit of Native scholars at tribal colleges.

 The Adolph Coors Foundation sponsors both the TCU students of the year and the TCU president honoree of the year. Every year each TCU selects one student to represent their institution, and the College Fund selects the TCU president honoree. Students receive a $1,200 scholarship and the president receives a $1,200 honorarium.

The Coca-Cola Foundation provides scholarships for first-generation Native American students who attend a TCU. The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded over $4 million in scholarship support to the College Fund since 1990 to assist more than 790 students with their college education. Students can reapply for the scholarship each year if they maintain a 3.0 grade point average and are active in campus and community life.  

Cheryl Crazy Bull, president and CEO of the College Fund, said, “We experience great joy when we gather to celebrate students and to congratulate them and their families. The College Fund thanks the students for joining us and shares its appreciation with the funders and supporters who made our celebration possible.”

The 2024-25 TCU students of the year are Etcibetat Madera of Aaniiih Nakoda College, Oscar Reo of Bay Mills Community College, Melisa Trombley of Blackfeet Community College, Shanell Paul of Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Madison Doney of Chief Dull Knife College, Dawn Tiger of College of Menominee Nation, Nora Tiger of College of the Muscogee Nation, Rowena White-Claw of  Diné College, Tiffany Weinberger of Fort Peck Community College, Star Her Many Horses of Haskell Indian Nations University, Sasha Derenoff (Carlile) of Iḷisaġvik College, Tru West of Institute of American Indian Arts, Jenna Maki of Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, Kay Jensen of Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University, Mya Morgan of Leech Lake Tribal College, Shelby Big Lake-Hill of Little Big Horn College, Raven Turner of Little Priest Tribal College, Ronald Benally Jr. of Navajo Technical University,  Rosalind Grant of Nebraska Indian Community College, Catherine Goble of Northwest Indian College, Reilee Lee of Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, Mato Hinton of Oglala Lakota College, Alyssa Fisher-Vizenor of Red Lake Nation College, Sam Hassan of Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College, James Douthwaite of Salish Kootenai College, Devin Whirlwind Soldier of Sinte Gleska University, Kenyon Budack Jr. of Sisseton Wahpeton College, Derek Gates of Sitting Bull College, Luke Gibson of Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, King Ragged Robe of Stone Child College, Isaiah Pashano of Tohono O’odham Community College, Amari Larocque of Turtle Mountain Community College, Rebecca Keepseagle of United Tribes Technical College, and Raeanna Connor of White Earth Tribal and Community College.       

The 2024-25 Coca-Cola First Generation Scholars are Lyle Stiffarm of Aaniiih Nakoda College, Oona Burton and Audie Petrosky of Bay Mills Community College, Brandi Harwood of Blackfeet Community College, Aisha Ironhawk of Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Linda Bahr of Chief Dull Knife College, Rose Tourtillott of College of Menominee Nation, Brooke Branson of College of the Muscogee Nation, Vanesha Cleveland of  Diné College, Waynette Boyd of Fort Peck Community College, Taylor Butterfield of Haskell Indian Nations University, Kristina Cisneros of Iḷisaġvik College, Brianna Waukau of Institute of American Indian Arts, Gabrielle Picciano of Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, Clarice Roberts of Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University, David LeDoux of Leech Lake Tribal College, Shelby Big Lake-Hill of Little Big Horn College, Angelica Parker of Little Priest Tribal College, Allyn Allen of Navajo Technical University,  Bridgette Hoshont’Omba of Nebraska Indian Community College, Julie Bosch of Northwest Indian College, Michelle Graham of Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, Laweka White Hawk of Oglala Lakota College, Amanda Defoe of Red Lake Nation College, Sam Hassan of Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College, Arlene Rogers of Salish Kootenai College, Lacey Dillard of Sinte Gleska University, Kaci Neilan of Sisseton Wahpeton College, Chyanne Ducheneaux of Sitting Bull College, Keisha Edwards of Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, ShoShana Saddler of Stone Child College, Christy Mcgaughey of Tohono O’odham Community College, Quentin Brien of Turtle Mountain Community College, Kaytlin Nation and Dasean Marquese of United Tribes Technical College, and Precious Hoagland of White Earth Tribal and Community College.