Partnership With Native Americans (PWNA) finds education pivotal at every stage of life – from ‘cradle to college to career’ – so that Indigenous communities have a chance to thrive like other populations. That’s why PWNA’s American Indian Education Fund (AIEF) program offers scholarships for dedicated students working to build better lives for themselves, their families and their communities. Navajo Native and Arizona State University (ASU) senior Callie was able to fund her academic journey and lessen her digital divide with help from AIEF’s scholarship service and support from the Grow With Google (GWG) Indigenous Career Readiness Program.

Growing up in the remote tribal community of Greasewood, Arizona, Callie saw the daily effects of her tribe’s neglect and lack of resources from water access to the aftermath of uranium mining. “It’s a small but strong community.” Most of Callie’s family still lives in Greasewood and her mother works at the local community school, using her bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Coming from a family of educators, the importance of learning was instilled in Callie from a young age – something many Indigenous children miss out on as Native students have the lowest graduation rates of all other racial/ethnic groups.

While Callie is not the first in her family to obtain a degree, given that both of her siblings also attend college, she is the first to receive one for engineering. Starting her college career at Central Arizona Community College and soon graduating with her bachelor’s in environmental engineering from ASU, Callie’s favorite part of school was “not only building my knowledge, but also meeting other Natives in STEM” through her studies or school programs like American Indian Student Support Services (AISSS). Her biggest accomplishments involve “building professional skills” and recently presenting her senior design project on proposing water filtration systems or treatment facilities for the city of Scottsdale – all while juggling an internship-turned-contractor role as a data analyst for Central Arizona Project (CAP).

Something that has helped Callie navigate her hectic schedule is the support from AIEF and our partnership with GWG. Beyond the care packages and Starbucks gift cards sent by AIEF, Callie’s digital training in how to organize Google Drive made a world of difference. “I wasn’t too familiar with Google before that training; I mostly used Microsoft.” Thankful for the Google Suite and how it’s helped her easily succeed in “a lot of group projects with shared online folders,” Callie adds, “I use it on an everyday basis, and it’s organized so I can go back and easily find important documents.”

After graduation, Callie plans to pursue a master’s degree in civil engineering and hopes to find a career in engineering design and be a part of the Navajo Nation’s water treatment facility expansion project. “The whole point was to get my education and go back to help my community.” Grateful for all the support, Callie thanks AIEF and GWG: “It’s a lot having to go to school and worry about paying for tuition, books, housing, etc.… This is the only scholarship to offer digital training and check up on me. You’re making a big impact on Native students, so thank you for all you do and thank you to the entire organization – it takes a lot of people.”

Donate to AIEF to help Native students like Callie obtain their dreams and improve life for their communities.