The Citizen Potawatomi Nation awarded the 2023 Michael John Kennedy Scholarship to Bourassa family member and University of North Carolina student Casimir Szupica. Now a senior, Szupica is studying geology with plans to graduate in the spring and commission into the United States Army as a second lieutenant in the chemical corps.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation hosted the Tribal Education Departments’ Forum (TED Forum) at the Grand Casino Hotel & Resort in November. Representatives from a variety of tribes and organizations presented information to educators from around the state, offering insight into what sort of services and opportunities are available for schools and Indigenous youth.
The window will be closing soon for the chance for Potawatomi youth to apply for this summer’s Potawatomi Leadership Program. The program, which welcomes college-aged Citizen Potawatomi Nation Tribal members, will run from June 14 to July 27, 2024.
Voting is now open to select the winner of the 2024 CPN Department of Education Art Contest. Voting closes on February 29, 2024.
The CPN Department of Education highlights changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in 2023.
The application period for Mdamen, an eight-week leadership program, opened on Oct. 1, 2023. This is the third session of the virtual program, which helps Citizen Potawatomi Nation members establish and maintain a strong connection to their heritage. The deadline to apply is Dec. 1, 2023.
As the annual Potawatomi Leadership Program drew to its close, the participants reflected on what they learned throughout their six weeks with Citizen Potawatomi Nation and encouraged other Potawatomi youth to apply for next year’s program.
Rachel Watson, CPN Department of Education Senior College Advisor, offers advice to students applying to The Gates Scholarship. Watson encourages students to start their application early, be themselves, display their passions and achievements, and to ask for help from mentors, teachers or the Department of Education.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Department of Education unveiled a new program this spring designed to help CPN students fully embrace their Potawatomi heritage. The first-ever Coming Into the Circle event was designed to encourage high school graduates to claim their Indigenous identity and help them feel they belong to a bigger community.
The CPNHS Scholarship for Service, or Mshkeke (the Potawatomi word for medicine), covers tuition and fees in return for a minimum of one to three years of employment at a CPNHS site. Scholarships are available for one person going into a licensed practical nurse program and for two people in a dental hygiene program.