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Ronan woman earns national honor from American Indian Graduate Center

by Lake County Leader
| December 7, 2020 12:45 PM

Amerra Webster of Ronan recently was named one of two national Students of the Year by the American Indian Graduate Center based in Albuquerque, N.M.

Webster was honored as the top undergraduate, while Justin Lund of Ganando, Ariz., was named top graduate student.

“The Student of the Year Award celebrates exceptional scholars who have demonstrated their commitment not only to their own education, but also their leadership and service to their Tribal communities,” said Angelique Albert (Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes), American Indian Graduate Center executive director. “Amerra and Justin emanate each of these qualities, and we are pleased to honor them as our Students of the Year.”

Webster is an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes and a recent graduate of Dartmouth University, where she studied Government and Native American Studies. She was a Gates Millennium Scholar and graduated in the top 35% of all Dartmouth undergraduates. She currently serves as a Lead For America Hometown Fellow, specializing as a climate change policy fellow, assisting in the formulation and implementation of climate change policy across Tribal departments and corporate entities.

Lund is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who is set to earn his Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Oklahoma this year. He works in the Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, where he has the opportunity to explore the ethical, legal and social implications of genomics in Native American contexts.

This year’s announcement was made in conjunction with the American Indian Graduate Center’s 50 Moments of Impact Campaign that is celebrating the organization’s 50th Anniversary of empowering Native students pursuing higher education.

Throughout its 50-year legacy, American Indian Graduate Center has empowered more than 16,000 students from over 500 Tribes in all 50 states by providing individual scholarships with amounts ranging from $250 to $30,000 annually, as well as Indigenous-focused academic programming.

To learn more about American Indian Graduate Center visit www.AIGCS.org.

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Justin Lund (American Indian Graduate Center)