The overall competition for spring 2025 scholarships from NPC Friends and Family (NPCFF), the nonprofit that supports students at Northland Pioneer College (NPC), has resulted in over $56,000 in awards. Between October 1 and the November 14 deadline, applications were received from 60 students. Of those, 51 (89.2%) were qualified for review. Of those reviewed, 40 students (78.4%) received awards.

Applicants are scored on a personal essay that is evaluated based on criteria including the applicant’s sense of college and career goals and how well they are aligned, their resourcefulness with regard to college planning, their need for the scholarship, and their academic merit. Some were also required to submit letters of recommendation. Scholarship reviewers are provided with a scoring rubric to assist them in assessing each applicant according to the criteria. Teams include members of the NPCFF board, NPC’s District Governing Board, college faculty, staff, administrators, and the community at large. To calculate each applicant’s score, the high and low scores awarded by reviewers for each applicant are discarded, and the remaining scores are averaged.

The average score among the 40 awardees was 90.2% (the average score in fall 2024 was 87.9%.) The highest score among the 50 awardees was 97.23%, earned by surgical tech student Lisa Benally, who attends the White Mountain Campus in Show Low (the highest score in fall 2024 was 96.9%). The lowest cutoff among the 46 awardees was 85.14%.

“It is satisfying to see the overall quality of applications improving each semester,” notes Betsyann Wilson, executive director of NPC Friends and Family. She credits the work of NPCFF Development Coordinator Karen Zimmerman, along with the NPC Communications department, led by director Katie Matott, with getting the word out to students about the availability of the scholarships and directing them to the website and application portal at www.npc.edu/ffscholarships.

Director Wilson noted that a significant number of applications were submitted during the end of the application deadline. “It is disappointing that so many applications came in during the final hours of the six-week application window,” Wilson explained. “Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early, and we will help them as much as possible to prepare a competitive application and essay. This allows them to resubmit before the deadline. Procrastination is an issue for many students in each application cycle, but it significantly affected the outcome for many applicants for spring 2025. Six of the ten scholarship applications that scored below the cutoff, and all the applications that were unqualified for review, came in during the final hours.”

Awardees for Spring 2025 are as follows:

• Jeanne Swarthout, PhD, Presidential Excellence Scholarship: Bobbie Benkert (Nursing), White Mountain Campus.
• Jennifer Lee Witt Memorial Scholarship: Sadonah Chischilly of St. Johns (Nursing), White Mountain Campus; Haylee Edds (Elementary Education), St. Johns/Online; Dawni Cardinal of Springerville (Nursing), White Mountain Campus.
• Pres Winslow Memorial Scholarship: Bryson Sheppard (Nursing), Little Colorado Campus; Jana-ray Nielipinski of Heber (Associate of Arts), Silver Creek Campus; LeAnnza Forsythe of Show Low, (Nursing), White Mountain Campus.
• Newman Family Memorial Scholarship: Pamela Bishop of Holbrook, Painted Desert Campus/Online.
• Doris Reed Nursing Scholarship: Sara Chevalier of Show Low, White Mountain Campus.
• Jon Graff, PhD, University Bound Scholarship: Alyssa Mowers of Snowflake (Associate of Science), Silver Creek Campus.
• Jon Graff, PhD, Career and Technical Education Scholarship: Marie Ortega of Show Low (Nursing), White Mountain Campus.
• Charles E. Lisitzky Memorial Scholarship for Native American Students: Shayla Dashner of Keams Canyon (Early Childhood Development), Hopi Center.
• AndyVon Academic Scholarship for Native American Students: Lisa Benally (Surgical Tech), White Mountain Campus; Karlita Pablo (Early Childhood Education), Whiteriver Center; Tysa Lee (Behavioral Health), Whiteriver Center; Rivke Huma (Associate of Science), Painted Desert Campus/Online; Kristopher Herder (Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education), Little Colorado Campus; Adrianna Benally (Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education), Kayenta Center.
• Claude Millet Endfield Early Childhood Education Scholarship – 2^nd Semester: Delta Declay, Whiteriver Center; Branson Parent, White Mountain Campus; Karlita Pablo, Whiteriver Center; Adriana Jones, Silver Creek Campus; Shayla Dashner, Hopi Center; Michaela Nez, Painted Desert Campus.
• White Mountain Women’s Club Scholarship: Skyla Araiza (Nursing), White Mountain Campus; Kristen Cline (Nursing), White Mountain Campus.
• NPC On The House: Kenli Gardner, Brynlynn Lang, Kami Ellsworth; Trevor Klein.
• White River Lodge #62 CTE Scholarship: Brent Hatcher of Snowflake (Surgical Tech), White Mountain Campus.
• Michael T. Mariner Memorial Scholarship – Jefferson Hunt of Shumway, Silver Creek Campus.
• Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education – 1^st Semester: Cheryl Carlson, Painted Desert Campus; KaeLynn Warwick, Little Colorado Campus.
• Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education – 2^nd Semester: Abagayle Keicher-Kimmins, White Mountain Campus; Adrianna Benally, Kayenta Center; Kristopher Herder, Little Colorado Campus.

The NPCFF Fill-the-Gaps Scholarship was awarded to Sonia Craig, April Tucker, Heather Condie, Shanae Canales, Alexa Cuestas-Quezada, Jessica Harris, Herculano Gasaway, Xavier Vataha, Shandiin Shorty, Jessica Tequida, and Rhiannon Armstrong.

NPCFF’s Leg-Up Scholarship awardees are Kristen Nikolaus, Brent Hatcher, Jennifer Brimhall, Savannah Carmody, Mackenzie Chee, Sarah Salyer, and Sydney Crain.

NPC Friends and Family will accept applications for the AndyVon Transportation Grant for Native American Students beginning on January 6, 2025. The opportunity is open until all funds are awarded. Students must reside on tribal lands and be traveling more than 30 miles, one way to attend classes in the Spring 2025 semester. Details and application forms may be found at https://www.npc.edu/scholarships/andyvon-transportation-grant.

NPC Friends and Family will accept applications for the CASO Student Scholarship from January 6, 2025 – March 1, 2025. Full details, including application criteria, may be found at https://www.npc.edu/caso-scholarship.

NPC Friends and Family extends a heartfelt thank-you to all the donors who make these scholarships possible, and congratulations to all awardees! To learn more about NPC Friends and Family and to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit www.npc.edu/npcfriendsfamily or contact betsy.wilson@npc.edu The application window for over 30 scholarships for Fall 2025 will be open from March 1 – April 17, 2025, at noon MST. Please visit www.npc.edu/ffscholarships for more information.