NTUA awards scholarships to 95 students

FORT DEFIANCE

As the new academic school year begins, Navajo Tribal Utility Authority awarded $190,000 in postsecondary scholarships to 95 students for the 2021-22 academic school year.

Since 2008, NTUA has awarded approximately $1.6 million in scholarships.

NTUA General Manager Walter Haase said, “The NTUA scholarship program was established to encourage and support educational ambitions of Navajo students, especially in careers related to the utility industry.

“It is our hope that they will return to the Navajo Nation to assist in the future development of the Navajo Nation,” he said.

NTUA is proud to announce that Choice NTUA Wireless and Atlantic Tele-Network Inc. pledged $20,000 combined.

In addition, four students from Kayenta will also receive scholarships, following NTUA’s promise to award students from the Kayenta region as a result of the Kayenta Solar I and II projects.

Together the additional contributions increased the overall awards to $190,000.

Michael Prior, chairman and CEO of ATN Inc., said, “ATN and Choice are proud to continue our support for the NTUA scholarship program and our partners at NTUA.

“Programs like these are critical to creating new opportunities for families,” he said, “and we are hopeful that the skills and knowledge learned will in turn lead to the creation of other opportunities across the Navajo Nation.”

Each year NTUA offers Navajo students an opportunity to apply for scholarships for fields of study related to the multi-service utility industry. The award is $2,000 and will be evenly distributed over two semesters.

The 2021-22 awardees primarily attend state universities in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado, including the Navajo Nation at Diné College or Navajo Technical University.

This year, some of the students declared majors in civil, mechanical and electrical engineering, computer engineering, information technology, pre-engineering, accounting and environmental science and sustainability.