WWW.NATIVEAMERICANBAR.ORG
For Immediate Release, March 23, 2015
Contact: Mary L. Smith (202) 236-0339

NNABA FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

PHOENIX�The National Native American Bar Association (NNABA) Foundation is proud to announce the inaugural round of scholarships to law students who demonstrate a commitment to serve or contribute to the Native American community as future leaders. After a rigorous review process, the Awards Committee selected six highly-qualified winners from across the country. These students are exceptional leaders who have not only distinguished themselves academically but exemplify the highest standards and a commitment to Native American communities, to the legal profession, and to NNABA�s mission.

�We are exceedingly proud to honor these six law students with these prestigious scholarships. We received a large number of outstanding applications, and I want to thank the Awards Committee for their service during the selection process. With these scholarships, we recognize the recipients� commitment to excellence, their academic accomplishments, and their leadership in Native American communities,� said Mary Smith, NNABA Foundation president. �The scholarships help achieve the NNABA Foundation�s goal of supporting the full inclusion of Native American attorneys in the legal profession.�

These scholarships are made possible by donations from numerous corporations, law firms, bar associations, and individuals. The inaugural scholarships awarded in 2015 were made possible by the generous support of Walmart.

The NNABA Foundation is delighted to announce that it has selected the following law students to receive the inaugural round of NNABA Foundation scholarships (listed in alphabetical order):

Chelsea Brisbois from Colbert, Washington, 2L, Northeastern University School of Law

Chelsea Brisbois is a 2L at Northeastern University School of Law. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA, majoring in Political Science. Ms. Brisbois has demonstrated a deep commitment to public service by serving as a legal intern to the Foreclosure Consequences Advocacy Team for the Northwestern Justice Project. She has also served as a legal intern for the Honorable Jay Blitzman of the Lowell Juvenille Court in Lowell, MA. During law school, Ms. Brisbois participated in a year-long student group project on behalf of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Caucus. Throughout her childhood, Ms. Brisbois maintained her connected to her Native American culture, and she spent summers with relatives on the reservation. She has secured a summer internship with DNA People�s Legal Services to continue to serve Native American communities.

Hunter Cox from Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2L, University of Michigan Law School

Hunter Cox is a 2L at the University of Michigan Law School. In 2011, he received an A.B. in Government from Dartmouth College. During his undergraduate years, he won a Native American Program Writing Award. Mr. Cox grew up outside of Washington, D.C., and often found himself as the only Native American in his classes. Nonetheless, he has maintained close ties to his tribe, the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation in Kansas. Mr. Cox serves as the Treasurer of the National Native American Law Students Association (NNALSA) chapter at his law school. During last summer. Mr. Cox served as a summer law clerk at the Native American Rights Fund in Boulder, CO. After law school, he plans to return to Washington, D.C., to practice Indian law to ensure that tribes have a voice in their government-to-government relationship with the United States.

Rose Goldberg, New Haven, CT, 3L, Yale Law School

Rose Goldberg is a 3L at Yale Law School. She has a B.A. from St. John�s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University. After her first year of law school, Ms. Goldberg served as an intern in the The White House Domestic Policy Council, working on Native American policy issues. During the summer of 2014, she again worked in Washington, D.C. as a Yale Law Women Fellow on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Following her graduation from law school, Ms. Goldberg will serve as a judicial clerk to Chief Judge Theodore McKee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia, PA. Thereafter, she plans to return to her former home of New Mexico and leverage her public policy experience to improve access and delivery of health care to Native Americans.

Kathryn Jones, New Haven, CT, 2L, Yale Law School
Kathryn Jones is a 2L at Yale Law School. After receiving her undergraduate degree in American Studies from Stanford University, Ms. Jones spent two years working on legislative affairs at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) in Washington, D.C. Last summer, she worked as a Native American Affairs Intern at the White House Domestic Policy Council. She has also worked as a fourth grade teacher on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. This upcoming summer she plans to work at the Native American Rights Fund in Boulder, CO. She has been accepted as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Carlos Lucero for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Denver, CO, following her law school graduation. Ms. Jones has maintained close ties with her Cherokee heritage, and she plans to use her experiences teaching at Rosebud and her law degree to focus on expanding opportunities for Native youth.


April Youpee-Roll, Poplar, MT, 1L, University of Montana School of Law

April Youpee-Roll is a 1L at the University of Montana School of Law. Her mother grew up on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Northeastern Montana and instilled in Ms. Youpee-Roll the value of education. Ms. Youpee-Roll followed her uncle�s example and attended Harvard University for her undergraduate studies in sociology. As a fellow at the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, she contributed to groundbreaking research on natural resource development on native lands. During the summer of 2008, she completed a Morris K. Udall Native American Congressional Internship. She plans to fulfill her Advanced Writing Requirement with a study of law enforcement and infrastructure needs between indigenous nations on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border.

Brandi Sweet, West Jordan, VT, 1L, Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School

Brandi Sweet is a 1L at the Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School. She received a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Montana and a Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis. In her childhood, Ms. Sweet found herself in the often over-burdened foster care system. She has used her experiences to become the first person in her immediate family to graduate from high school and college. After receiving her Master�s degree, she spent five years working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C. where as part of her responsibilities she served as the Indian Affairs lead in the design and launch of First Lady Michelle Obama�s Let�s Move in Indian Country initiative to combat childhood obesity. More recently in Utah, she helped launch an American Indian foster care recruitment program which preserves the intent of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Following law school, Ms. Sweet plans to continue to advocate for Native American communities.

The NNABA Foundation would like to thank Walmart for its generous support in making these scholarships possible.

For more information on the new NNABA Foundation and to donate, click HERE.

The mission of the National Native American Bar Association Foundation (NNABA Foundation) is to develop and provide financial resources that advance the research and educational endeavors of the National Native American Bar Association. The NNABA Foundation qualifies as an exempt fund under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and all contributions to the NNABA Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

For more information contact 480-727-0420 or visit www.nativeamericanbar.org.