Recipient Spotlight | Trial by fire
Jordan Dennis received his Chahta Foundation scholarship in 2014 and is a future attorney.
Jordan Dennis walked through fire on his path to discovering his calling. After high school, he chose to train as an elite firefighter and join a hotshot crew, fighting large wildfires in remote locations all over the country. This time away from home made Jordan appreciate all that he had in his family, his home, and his tribe. “I have come to
realize that I must be more than Choctaw by birth, but Choctaw by action,” Jordan says. With that goal in mind, Jordan is pursuing dual degrees in law and Native American Studies from the University of Oklahoma while working part-time at an Oklahoma City law firm. He hopes to one day serve the Choctaw Nation as an attorney. “The tribal law reflects the history and culture of the tribe,” Jordan says, which is why, in addition to studying Native history and culture, he also plans to learn the Choctaw language. Jordan’s trial by fire has shaped him into a humble servant of his tribe.
