Last fall, cultural student organizations joined together to demand greater support for Indigenous students at the State of Indigeneity — a dialogue forum led by Indigenous students.
Now, ASI student government is funding scholarships for Indigenous students. This comes in addition to scholarships for undocumented students who are barred from receiving federal financial aid.
Eligible students can apply by Oct. 17 via the general scholarship application process available on their Cal Poly portal. According to the scholarship descriptions, recipients must be full-time students, maintain at least a 2.5 GPA and must demonstrate their leadership in their respected communities and extracurriculars.
Indigenous students can receive $2,000-$5,000 through this scholarship. Undocumented students can receive $900 for the school year.
A Cal Poly enrollment report from the Fall of 2020 shows that Native Americans make up 0.12% of the population at Cal Poly. The university opened the Native American and Indigenous Peoples’ Center on Oct. 14 to further demonstrate support for this portion of Cal Poly’s community.
Undocumented students are barred from receiving federal financial aid but can be eligible for some state and university-specific funding. According to the Dream Center website, undocumented students are eligible for most university-wide and college-based scholarships.