Doyon Foundation’s 2011 scholarship award ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, September 8 at 2 p.m. at the Doyon, Limited Chiefs Court at 1 Doyon Place in Fairbanks, Alaska. All Foundation students, alumni, family members, friends and supporters are invited to attend.
The ceremony will recognize the 379 students who are receiving Foundation scholarships for the fall 2011 semester. The Foundation will award a total of $305,400 in scholarships, up from the $294,500 that was awarded last fall.
The fall 2011 awards include $800 basic scholarships for full-time students, $400 basic scholarships for part-time students, and competitive scholarships that range from $3,000 to $7,000. (Note that competitive scholarship recipients receive half of their funding in the fall semester and the remaining half in the spring semester.)
Among this year’s competitive scholarships is a new award, made possible with a grant from the Rasmuson Foundation and donations from corporate, individual and alumni donors. More than $20,000 was raised this summer for the new competitive scholarship for Foundation students who are studying health, which was the number one field of study in 2009 – 2010, and is one of the fastest-growing fields both across the state and nation. The first $5,000 award will be presented at the upcoming scholarship award ceremony.
Also included in the 2011 competitive scholarship line-up are four awards partially funded with donations made to the Foundation in memory of Lu Young, a Doyon, Limited shareholder and the wife of Congressman Don Young. The Foundation received donations of more than $7,000 in Mrs. Young’s memory following her passing in 2009. That, combined with additional contributions previously made by the Young family, funded the majority of the Foundation’s 2011 education, indigenous studies, liberal arts and committee’s choice competitive scholarships.
Mrs. Young, a Gwich’in Athabascan from Fort Yukon, was the daughter of John Fredson, and was the third of 10 children in the family. Mrs. Young met her future husband in Fort Yukon, where she was a bookkeeper and he was working as an elementary school teacher. Throughout her husband’s congressional career, Mrs. Young was a strong supporter of his work. Mrs. Young was known for her support of Alaskans and ensuring that Alaskans were treated as royalty when in Washington, D.C. visiting the congressman. During their 46 years of marriage, the couple had two daughters – Dawn and Joni – and 14 grandchildren. Mrs. Young passed away August 2, 2009 at her home in Great Falls, Va. at the age of 67.
For more information on Doyon Foundation scholarships or the upcoming scholarship award ceremony, please visit www.doyonfoundation.com or contact Tonya Garnett, scholarship program manager, at 907.459.2049 or garnettt@doyon.com.