Education Briefs | Eve’s Fund awards $16,000 to 16 Navajo Prep students

FARMINGTON

Eve’s Fund for Native American Health Initiatives has announced that $16,000 in scholarships were awarded to 16 students attending Navajo Preparatory School for the current academic year.

The awardees are senior Joshua Begay, White Rock, New Mexico; junior Uriel Benally, Fruitland, New Mexico; sophomore Genesis Clark, Kirtland, New Mexico; sophomore Luke Damon, Albuquerque; sophomore Wallen Descheeny, Klagetoh, Arizona; senior Jillian Garcia, Dulce, New Mexico; junior Lucius Hale, Kirtland; sophomore Orion King, Rock Point, Arizona; and sophomore KayDence Low Dog, Casamero Lake, New Mexico; sophomore Winnie Morgan, Crownpoint; senior Naomi Peshlakai, Counselor, New Mexico; senior Alana Smith, Farmington; senior Madison Smith, Sonsela, Arizona; senior Kalani Williams, Shiprock; senior Kimberlynnbah Yazzie, Standing Rock, New Mexico; and junior Natalyn Yazzie, Fort Defiance.

Students were selected based on demonstrated financial need, academic potential, and leadership skills. Each award covers the school’s required academic and residential fees.
Nine of the students receive the scholarship for the first time, and seven students continue from previous years.

Since the scholarship program was established in 2011, Eve’s Fund has awarded $87,250 to 57 Navajo Prep students, some of whom received the scholarship in their four years at the school.

Shawna Becenti, head of Navajo Prep, said, “These scholarships help relieve the financial burden on families, so many of whom have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.

“Upon completion of their studies, these 16 exceptional young men and women will be well prepared for success in college,” she said. “Ahxéhee’, Eve’s Fund for investing in the education of these future leaders.”

The founders of Eve’s Fund for Native American Health Initiatives, the late Dr. Robert Crowell, and Barbara Crowell Roy, established the scholarship program to honor the memory of their daughter, Eve Erin Crowell. They created the scholarship to address the significant educational needs of high school students in the Navajo Nation.

Feb. 24, 2022, marks the 17th anniversary of the passing of Eve Crowell and the 11th anniversary of the scholarship program established in her memory.

Zuni project unveils fourth oral history project

ZUNI, N.M. — The nonprofit Zuni Youth Enrichment Project unveiled its fourth annual oral history project, the film “Zuni Turkey Maiden,” Feb. 11 and 12.

The project worked with Ho’n A:wan Productions, ShiwiSun Productions, and the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center.

Delapna:we are traditional oral stories that were a form of entertainment, bonding, and education for the Zuni people.

In its first two years, the Delapna:we Oral History Project involved live theater performances, but the team turned to animations for the 2021 project due to the pandemic.

Filming was in a Zuni sheep camp and at Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

Curtis Quam, from the museum, connected ZYEP with Supervisory Park Ranger Nathan Hatfield at Chaco Canyon so the team could get a permit to film there.

Andrea Pepin, ZYEP’s program manager, said, “Chaco is a site of cultural relevance for the Zuni people. It’s an important part of their migration story.”

Pepin said that ZYEP and its partners had made great strides in their work to connect youth to culturally significant experiences and places like Chaco Canyon.

Quam agreed, saying, “If the culture is to endure major outside influences, we need to show our community why and how.”

Elroy Natachu Jr. and Kandis Quam, ZYEP’s art coordinator and art leader, created traditional clothing for the performers.

Tahlia Natachu, director of development, said she hopes the film encourages families to have conversations about the importance of Zuni culture.

Information: 505-782-8000 or visit zyep.org.

Mach hails from Sanders/Oak Springs

WALLINGFORD, Penn. – Stephanie Mach, on Feb. 2, was announced as curator of North American ethnographic collections at the Harvard Peabody Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
She is Kinyaa’áanii.

Her grandparents are Ben Lynch Jr. from Sanders, Arizona, and the late Henrietta Lynch from Oak Springs, Arizona.

Her great-grandparents are the late Henry and Carrie Taliman Sr. of Oak Springs. Her parents are Robert and Benita Lynch Mach of Wallingford, Pennsylvania.

Stephanie has a bachelor’s in archaeology from Boston University and a master’s in museum studies from New York University.

She is currently pursuing a doctorate in cultural anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania and is an academic coordinator at the Penn Museum. She serves as the co-chair of the Penn Museum Diversity Committee.

Mach’s dissertation project focuses on museum practices of care, highlighting the responsibilities that result from museum stewardship of Native American cultural items.

Her research focuses on decolonizing museum care practices and their broader implications for both indigenous communities and the transformation of museums.

Senior Curator Diana Loren said, “The Peabody cares for cultural heritage from across North America, much of which came to the museum in ways that ignored the wishes of families and communities.”

Her parents said, “As parents, we are very proud of Stephanie and her accomplishments.”

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