Stephen
Cheyenne River Sioux
Education, Oglala Lakota College

For most of us, the day to day demands of work or school are enough to make us believe there are not enough hours in the day to get all we want to accomplish done. Stephen, an American Indian College Fund - Coca-Cola Foundation First Generation Scholar, clearly does not share this common dilemma. Rather, he balances his time between his studies, cultural activities, giving back to his community with relative ease.

The Oglala Lakota College education major has volunteered with youth in his community, primarily through the Ateyapi Program, for the past three years. As a mentor to children, Stephen not only shares his cultural knowledge-he is a traditional pow wow dancer and does beadwork in his spare time-but he also tries to impart upon them the traditional values that he believes will help them in today's society. In doing so, Stephen hopes to instill pride in their cultural heritage, and to lead by example.

It is from his work with youth that Stephen realized his desire to become a teacher. "I truly believe that teaching is my personal calling," he explains. "My goal is to give hope to all ethnic groups and show them they can achieve their goals. I think we need more Native American teachers in the system. I know that as a teacher I would strive to make all my students feel equal."

The first in his family to attend college, Stephen received the prestigious Coca-Cola Foundation First Generation scholarship from the American Indian College Fund. This highly competitive scholarship program provides annual awards of up to $5,000 per academic year, based upon financial need. The scholarship program, in its sixth year of operation, is just one of many avenues of support provided to the Fund by the Coca-Cola Foundation over the years.