Employees Uplift Fellow Workers through the Ittvnaha (Gather Together) Scholarship

Helping colleagues and friends reach for their dreams. That is at the heart of the Ittvnaha (Gather Together) Scholarship, funded by Choctaw Nation employees and awarded to fellow employees. But it’s more than funding — it’s having a team of people cheering you on for success.
Here are four exceptional employees who have received the Ittvnaha.

ANDREW BARTEE
Andrew recently moved into a new position under employee relations in Human Resources at the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. He recognizes the opportunities awaiting him with the many aspects and departments within HR. The scholarship and subsequent degree will open more doors that he would not otherwise have walked through.
“As a single parent, it has been hard to take classes, and to afford them,” he says. “I would like to thank the donors and let them know I can finish almost a year earlier because of this scholarship, earning a degree to better myself and the Choctaw Nation.”

RICHARD LUDLOW
A registered nurse for 15 years, Richard is pursuing a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) to give back even more. He currently works as unit manager at the Choctaw Nation Clinic in Hugo, Oklahoma.
“The reason I am a registered nurse is, many years ago the Choctaws helped me get my LPN and my RN,” he says. Receiving this scholarship keeps Richard from needing to squeeze another job into his schedule.
“I’m able to study more and be a part of my children’s lives versus catching a second job just to pay for college,” he says. “Thank you to the donors for providing me the opportunity to go back to school. When I’m done, I will be giving back too.”

JADA PINGLETON
Jada is majoring in Nutrition with plans to apply for an Occupational Therapy Program after graduation this spring. Her scholarship is supporting her pursuit to help others while relieving the financial strain of higher education.
“Thank you so much for supporting me in my dreams so I can use my skills to better people’s lives,” she says. “Just knowing my efforts aren’t for nothing, that what I’m doing really means something, and people seeing that in me, is incredible.”

SHERLYNN KENNEDY
Now finishing management work with the Choctaw Asset Building (CAB) program, Sherlynn is looking ahead to project management as a career.
“I’ve had so much support from employees I work with,” Sherlynn says. “For them to give up their hard-earned money for me to get that scholarship is an awesome feeling. It motivates me not to give up, not to quit, no matter how hard it gets.”
Sherlynn donates to the Chahta Foundation by using Amazon Smile for online shopping, and contributes to the Pink Warrior Scholarship and Jones Academy funds.
“I encourage students we work with to consider the Chahta Foundation as a way to give back to the tribe to help our future leaders,” she says.

If you are a Choctaw Nation employee, you can contribute to the Ittvnaha (Gather Together) Scholarship through an automatic deduction from your paycheck. To those who currently do so, we add another yakoke, thank you for supporting your fellow workers at the Choctaw Nation!

Credit: Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer