Tribe’s commitment to education built on history of success


This article appeared in the May 2019 edition of the Chickasaw Times

The Chickasaw Nation is well known as an “education tribe” for some very good reasons. We develop, support and fund an impressive array of education programs and services built for pre-schoolers through doctoral students. We truly leave no stone unturned as we continually search for more and better ways to bring the best of education opportunities to all Chickasaws.

As a tribe, we have a fundamental education mission that values the individual and appreciates the desire of different citizens to choose unique paths to educational success. We know many students will choose the traditional path of college or university, often followed by graduate study. We also know a significant minority of our students will choose vocational, technical or specialty training that prepares them for specific careers, most often in traditional trades.

When we were removed to our present homeland, schools were among the first institutions to appear. Chickasaws have historically sought to improve themselves and their society through education.

In this issue of the Chickasaw Times, you will read about many young Chickasaws graduating high school across the country. These exceptional young people, on the verge of adulthood and working lives, have now cleared that first important education hurdle.

Many will now choose to move ahead to college or university study in a variety of disciplines. Some of the Chickasaws you read about today will become teachers, scientists, engineers, writers, artists, physicians, accountants, attorneys, and so much more. Some will choose the trade route and make exceptional careers as carpenters, electricians, homebuilders, plumbers and more. They are all on their ways to making positive differences, not only for their own families, but for their tribe, their communities and their country.

It’s impossible to value a good education simply in dollars, but we understand it takes resources for our students to achieve their educational goals. No matter how you cut it, in today’s world a good education is expensive. Over the past nearly 50 years, the cost of a college education has risen faster than any other sector of the American economy. It is an incredible and often insurmountable challenge for today’s students to complete a quality education with just their own family’s resources.

Thankfully, for Chickasaw students, there are many options! The Chickasaw Nation dedicates millions of dollars annually to support our students and offer them every opportunity to achieve the success they seek.

Our students receive scholarships, grants, stipends, books, computers, tutoring, housing, computers and much more – all provided by the Chickasaw Nation. And the large majority of our students perform very well in school and attain their degrees. It is such a wonderful blessing to watch our students walk across that commencement stage and receive the degrees for which they have worked so hard!

As mentioned, our tribe also invests in our students who choose different education paths. Many of our students choose vocational or technical study. Some serve apprenticeships on their ways to trade journeyman status. Many choose to attain licenses, certificates or other levels of achievement in their selected course of study.

The Chickasaw Nation is there for all our students every step of the way!

At the Chickasaw Nation, we are dedicated to providing resources and support that allow our students every chance for success. We understand these young people are critically important to the future of our tribe, and we are totally committed to them and their goals.

Congratulations 2019 graduates! Your tribe is proud of you!