I am from an eighth to a fourth Cherokee, also Spanish and Italian. but I don’t have an exact amount. I am in high school and searching for possible scholarship opportunities. My GPA is on average around 3.75 which is pretty high but I’m not counting on an academic scholarship. So my school counselor suggested that I try for a minority scholarship to help out with expenses.
But I’m lost at what I am supposed to do in order to be registered.
In order to become enrolled (“registered”) you’d first need to be a lineal descendant of a person already enrolled. Are either of your parents enrolled? What about your grandparents? Without a family history of tribal enrollment you cannot become enrolled yourself. If your family does have a history of tribal enrollment then you should talk to your family about which Cherokee tribe they’re enrolled with and then contact that tribe directly to see if you can become enrolled yourself. The process of becoming enrolled can take as little as 6 months to up to many years, a lifetime for some.
If you do become enrolled, you can then apply to the tribe of your enrollment for funding opportunities. You’d be competing against other enrolled tribal members for the same monies. The tribe’s scholarship selection committee will fund the best applicants based on a number of factors that may include academic record and commitment to the tribe — something that someone who just enrolled recently and for the money won’t have any record of.
Minority scholarships aren’t just for minorities for minorities-sake. Scholarships for minorities are for the top notch, high achieving minorities. Enrolled tribal members attend schools such schools as Harvard, Dartmouth and Stanford. They’re going for the same monies you’re attempting to go for and they’re already enrolled.
My advise to you is to not go for tribal monies or other funds for enrolled tribal members as you don’t fit the student profile of who these funds are intended to serve.