United Health Foundation Provides $45,000 for Scholarships to the American Indian College Fund for Arizona Healthcar...( DENVER Dec. 17 -- Minneapolis-based ...),Health

DENVER, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Minneapolis-based United Health Foundation announced its commitment to American Indian education and desire to help solve health issues in Indian Country by donating $45,000 for nine $5,000 scholarships to the American Indian College Fund in support of Arizona students pursuing careers in the health sciences.

The scholarship recipients were chosen based on their academic achievement, financial need, education enrollment status, and American Indian community involvement. Scholarship recipients include five tribal college students at Dine College, including Melissa Clark, a pre-medicine major from Shiprock, New Mexico; Alison Dedman, a nursing major from Nazlini, Arizona; Danielle Goldman, a pre-medicine major from Farmington, New Mexico; Danelle Jishie, a pre-medicine major from Tsaile, Arizona; and Thomasita Kinsel, a health occupations major from Lukachukai, Arizona. Mainstream college scholarship recipients include Rachelle Hovel, a social work major from Phoenix, Arizona and Tenai Roan, a nursing major from St. Michaels, Arizona, both studying at Arizona State University; and Kelly Saganey, a biology major from Flagstaff, Arizona and Belinda Style, a social work major from Tuba City, Arizona, both studying at Northern Arizona University.

Richard B. Williams, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, said, "We are honored that United Health Foundation is working to solve the health issues in Indian Country by helping to educate aspiring American Indian health care workers. Our research has shown that the majority of our tribal college graduates return to their communities with the desire to improve the lives of their people. What better way to do so than to use a scholarship to earn an education to help solve the disproportionate health care issues affecting Native people, such as diabetes."