CPN students from throughout the United States were selected to participate in the 2024 Potawatomi Leadership Program. The six-week program brings Tribal members aged 18-20 to the Nation’s headquarters near Shawnee, Oklahoma, for an immersive experience.
For fall 2024, students applying for the Tribal scholarship will be able to request that the funding be designated as “for room and board.” This is to allow students like those who attend University of California schools to access their full Tribal benefits.
The CPN Department of Education held the second annual Coming into the Circle event, a program designed to introduce high school students to the Tribe’s language, history, cultural practices and resources.
Submissions for the 2024 Juneteenth Art Contest are now being accepted. The contest is open to any student grade 4 through 12 at any school. Winners will be selected from 4th through 8th grade and 9th through 12th grade age groups.
Rachel Watson, a member of the Navarre family, was named director of the CPN Department of Education at the beginning of 2024. Watson attended Oklahoma City Public Schools, then completed an undergraduate degree at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma, where they majored in history and minored in German. At the University of Pennsylvania, Watson received a CPN scholarship to help cover some of the costs as they earned a master’s degree in Education, Culture and Society.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation awarded the 2023 Michael John Kennedy Scholarship to Bourassa family member and University of North Carolina student Casimir Szupica. Now a senior, Szupica is studying geology with plans to graduate in the spring and commission into the United States Army as a second lieutenant in the chemical corps.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation hosted the Tribal Education Departments’ Forum (TED Forum) at the Grand Casino Hotel & Resort in November. Representatives from a variety of tribes and organizations presented information to educators from around the state, offering insight into what sort of services and opportunities are available for schools and Indigenous youth.
The window will be closing soon for the chance for Potawatomi youth to apply for this summer’s Potawatomi Leadership Program. The program, which welcomes college-aged Citizen Potawatomi Nation Tribal members, will run from June 14 to July 27, 2024.
Voting is now open to select the winner of the 2024 CPN Department of Education Art Contest. Voting closes on February 29, 2024.
The CPN Department of Education highlights changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in 2023.