Arctic Directory: Calista Heritage Foundation announces scholarships

The Calista Heritage Foundation said Sept. 12 that it is providing $239,250 in scholarships for the fall 2012 semester. Year-to-date the total scholarship distribution is $461,000 to about 300 students. Life-to-date more than $3.2 million in scholarships has been awarded.

For the fall semester, a total of 272 students are receiving scholarships. Of the total recipients, 245 are from Alaska with 121 of them from the Calista region. All scholarship recipients are Calista Corp. shareholders or descendants.

The top five fields of study this semester are nursing, biology, elementary education, psychology and business administration. The top five schools students are attending are University of Alaska Anchorage, UA Fairbanks, Alaska Career College, UA Fairbanks — Kuskokwim Campus and Bethel’s Yuut Yaqungviat flight school.

“Hope for the future will continue as long as we support those seeking education and training,” said Calista Heritage Foundation President/CEO Debra Call. “Coupled with the real-world learning experiences from Calista’s internship program, we are ensuring the growth of Alaskan leaders.”

CHF is the non-profit subsidiary for Calista Corp. In 2010 the Calista Scholarship Fund merged with the Calista Elder’s Council to become CHF. CHF’s goals, among others, are to provide financial support for Calista Corp. shareholders and descendants to pursue their educational goals, while promoting self-determination and cultural pride.