New Scholarship Honors College-Level NYO Athletes

15 Apr New Scholarship Honors College-Level NYO Athletes

The deadline to apply for the Continuing Education for Native Games Scholarship is April 19

Your connection to NYO Games doesn’t stop when you graduate high school. This year, we highlighted how post-high school athletes have stayed involved in traditional games, whether through joining or establishing traditional games clubs at their colleges or by holding practices open to the community.

To honor the work of those athletes, we’re thrilled to announce the Continuing Education for Native Games Scholarship!

This year, thanks to our generous donors, we will award four scholarships of $500 each to athletes who who are advancing their education in college or vocational schools while actively working to promote and sustain the NYO Games. Whether through establishing NYO clubs, volunteering at events, or integrating the NYO Games into their academic endeavors, these individuals play a pivotal role in ensuring the continued growth and relevance of NYO Games.

“After high school, many students find that they do not have an NYO coach or team to continue with. Despite these challenges, the spirit of the Games continues with some university and vocational students,” said Dawn Dinwoodie, owner of Trickster Company, one of the founding sponsors of the NYO Scholarship.

“Mostly on their own, they are starting small clubs to train, support, and teach other fellow students. We wanted to support their efforts to pursue their education at a higher level and use NYO as a tool to train, connect with others, and share the values and spirit of NYO.”

The Continuing Education for Native Games Scholarship builds from the NYO Alaska Games Scholarship, established in 2020 when NYO Coach and traditional games athlete Kyle Worl wanted to find a way to encourage high school athletes to keep pursuing their dreams of education after high school and promote NYO as a mainstream sport. That year, the Worl family and the Eyak Corporation funded two scholarships, awarded to Ajey Moses of Chevak and Bridget Savage of Unalaska.

The scholarship only grew from there. Since its inception, six athletes have been awarded funding through the scholarship, and the list of scholarship sponsors has grown, thanks to the active efforts of Dawn, who helped establish the scholarship.

This year, as donors continued to give, Kyle pointed out that more funding could enable the scholarship committee to honor additional athletes.

“Kyle brought this wonderful idea to the table, looking to support our college-bound NYO athletes who are still involved in the Games,” said Adele Villa, NYO coordinator. “We have students, like Jade [Wren], who have started a club and put in many hours of their time to plan and organize for practices and competitions.”

To honor those athletes who continue to participate in and promote traditional games, the committee established the new scholarship. This year, for the first time, four athletes will be awarded funds to assist with their continuing education, thanks to the generosity of our donors.

“I am filled with gratitude to each donor for supporting the scholarship fund,” said Dawn.

Scholarship recipients will be announced Friday, April 26.

To learn more and apply for the Continuing Education for Native Games Scholarship, college-aged athletes can visit nyogames.com/nyo-games/scholarships. Applications are due April 19.

You can help the scholarship grow! Visit the NYO Games Scholarship page to find out how to donate, see a list of past winners, or share this opportunity with the NYO athlete in your life!