Theresa A Mike Scholarship Foundation

The Theresa Andrea Mike Scholarship Foundation is organized for the purpose of recognizing the talent of young adults who are interested in furthering their education; who have a dedication to themselves and the betterment of the communities in which they live.

Scholarships are open to students who have graduated from the Coachella Valley and are full-time post-secondary or graduate students with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher. Applicants must be a resident of or has graduated from a high school in either the Coachella Valley or the Morongo Basin.

Scholarship recipients benefit from the use of the funds as it allows them to remain focused on their education rather than worry about the financial burden of attending college. The scholarship application opens annually for the fall semester only and scholarship awards range from $250 to $5,000!

Contact: Makeyli Marroquin, Executive Director

Email: info@theresamike.org

The Indigenous Youth Summer Program is an opportunity for children, especially those from Native/Tribal backgrounds, to experience institutions of higher education and a curriculum centered around culturally responsive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Class-based instruction will take place at UC Riverside’s Palm Desert Graduate Center and there will be a field trip portion to visit Bourns Engineering Company Headquarters in Riverside, California. Children will participate in two-hour class sessions broken into lecture, research and design activities.

The program is focused on middle school and high school youth, with classes two days a week, with a morning middle school session, an afternoon high school session. Max capacity will be 40 students.

Lectures will follow: creation and formation of stars and planets; energy systems, generation, storage, grid distribution; what is Geology/how to puzzle it; and a history of Indigenous STEM. The project is stewarded by the Theresa A. Mike Scholarship, in conjunction with the California Indian Nations College, UC Riverside's chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, and other community support (primarily from local Tribes and partners).

Community need and demand: STEM programs, of all levels, are not cognizant of Tribal perspectives, let alone knowledge, when discussing the history and practice of science. This lack of inclusion leads to lower numbers of underrepresented students from Native communities entering STEM fields in higher education settings. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, American Indian and Alaska Natives make up less than 1% of the number of college graduates annually and are disproportionately absent from STEM fields and programs. The Indigenous Summer program will prepare Native students for higher education, and to face impending needs and demands for sustainable development.