SHI expands support for Native Language Study and instruction at UAS

• News Home
• More from News of the North

Wednesday, December 21st, 2022 1:16pm

By Jasz Garrett

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Messenger
• Share on Messenger
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Whatsapp

Photo of 2022 language graduates by Stacy Unzicker, courtesy of Sealaska Heritage Institute.

Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will fund University of Alaska (UAS) students interested in taking courses in X̱aad Kíl, Sm'algyax and Lingít through a new initiative, Our Ancestor’s Echoes.

Through the program, SHI will also fund language teachers at UAS to provide free, non-credited language classes.

This funding will be available each semester throughout the duration of the three-year project, beginning with the spring 2023 semester and concluding with the spring 2025 semester.

Scholarship applicant requirements include being Alaska Native, planning to take an eligible language course, and have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 as a full or part-time student at the UAS Juneau campus.

Preference will go to applicants who are majoring in a field related to language (e.g. Alaska Native Languages and Studies) and to those who are working towards a heritage language teaching or speaking certificate.

The application is only for scholarship funding; students must register for the UAS course independently.

Funding for these course credits is limited.

Application and necessary documents should be emailed to leah.urbanski@sealaska.com by Friday, January 6.

Applicants must include an unofficial transcript from their most recently attended school and documents to show tribal affiliation.

Applicants will be notified by email regarding their acceptance status.

Through the same project, SHI also selected six Native language students for a bachelor's degree program to further perpetuate Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian languages.

More from News of the North

• Update: Capital City Fire Rescue responded to a fatal structure fire, investigation ongoing

  Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - CCFR responded to a structure fire on Engineers Cutoff Rd. on Thursday, Mar. 30.

• Juneau Police Department investigates possible threat

  Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - On Friday, Mar. 31 at about 6:45 a.m., the Juneau Police Department received a report from a business in the 600 block of Willoughby Ave, regarding a note being found in the store that indicated a possible general threat against children.

• Official News of The North Retraction regarding SEACC and SEACC United

  Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - Yesterday afternoon, News of The North published a story regarding the Southeast Alaska Conversation Council or SEACC and SEACC United.

• Board of Education selects Frank Hauser as the next Superintendent

  Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - On Friday, Mar. 31, the Board of Education selected Frank Hauser to be the next Superintendent of the Juneau School District.

• Ketchikan Grand Jury indicts two young adults, one juvenile in 80 year old’s death after Facebook post

  Ketchikan, Alaska (KINY) - A Ketchikan grand jury indicted two young adults and one juvenile on multiple charges Thursday for the death of 80-year-old Lincoln Peratrovich on Mar. 21 in the community of Klawock on Prince of Wales Island, 56 miles from Ketchikan.

• Alaska Federation of Natives now accepting nominations for 2023 President's Awards

  Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) - The Alaska Federation of Natives is now accepting nominations for the annual President's Awards, which will be presented at the 2023 AFN Convention, Oct. 19-21, in Anchorage.

• Alaska restarts requirement for annual renewal process to receive Medicaid benefits

  Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) - The Division of Public Assistance has an important message for households that receive health coverage through Medicaid (including DenaliCare or Denali KidCare): make sure your contact information is up to date.

• Governor Dunleavy signs Fast Track Legislation for SNAP Benefits and Legal Services

  Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) - Governor Mike Dunleavy has signed the FY23 Fast Track Supplemental Budget (House Bill 79).

• Allen Hiratsuka sentenced to 13 years for 2014 sexual assault in Dillingham

  Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) - Anchorage Superior Court Judge William Morse sentenced 59-year-old Allen Hiratsuka to 16 years with three years suspended and 13 years to serve for the crime of sexual assault in the second degree.

• U.S. District Court Judge backs challenged Federal Polar Bear Deterrence Regulations for Oil Activities

  Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) - U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason ruled against the Alaska Wildlife Alliance and in favor of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Wednesday when she upheld a federal regulation that allows incidental harassment of polar bears for oil and gas activity, finding that the activities would affect small numbers of polar bears and have a negligible impact.

• Representative Peltola shares statement on H.R. 1

  Washington (KINY) - Representative Peltola released Thursday the following statement accompanying her vote against the House Republicans’ energy package legislation, H.R. 1.

• Calhoun Avenue phase II reconstruction to begin Apr. 3

  Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - Part of Calhoun Avenue will be closed to traffic beginning April 3 as CBJ and Admiralty Construction begin work on Phase II of the Calhoun Avenue Reconstruction Project. Work is expected to continue through July 2023.