7th Annual Chahta Foundation Scholarship Banquet Creates Personal Connections

“Your life is a living letter.”

At the 7th Annual Chahta Foundation Scholarship Banquet Scott Wesley, Chahta Foundation Scholarship Director, closed the program with a charge to the students who had just accepted their scholarships. He left them with a mental image to carry forward as they embark on the next phase of their educational journey.

“In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul talks about how each of us represents a living letter,” Scott said. “We have a story, and we represent that to every single person we come in contact with. Each of you that have received a scholarship today has this as part of your letter. I want to challenge you as you go to classes this fall, ‘who am I representing?’ Are you representing God, are you representing the Choctaw Nation, are you representing the best you can possibly be?”
Held in the Magnolia Grand Ballroom at the Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma, 60 people attended this year’s banquet which celebrated students, their families, and donors. While many of the 135 Chahta Foundation 2019 scholarship recipients were recognized at other events, the banquet highlighted those moving through advanced education, pursuing bachelor to doctorate level degrees. These higher-level recipients come from a range of interests and states that Choctaws influence across the country — New Mexico to Massachusetts, Alaska to New York.

This annual banquet allows students to formally receive their scholarships, and gives them an opportunity in getting to know our staff.
“We like to meet our recipients,” says Colby Hicks, Chahta Foundation Scholarship Specialist. “We want that personal connection and to get our faces out there, so they know they can reach out anytime. We want them to succeed, and we’re willing to help in any way to make that possible.”
The banquet also connects students with their donors, and lets donors meet the ones representing their scholarship. Often, donor-based scholarships are named in memory of someone or a purpose that is near and dear to the donor’s heart.

Scott and Colby are looking ahead to the 2020 season while keeping a helping hand extended to those just awarded.
“You are Choctaw scholars,” Scott said, “and we’re excited to work with you throughout the lifetime of the process to encourage you and keep you moving forward.”

Credit: Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer