Nine Minnesota Students Earn the American Indian Ethel Curry Scholarship for Academic Excellence

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                                                    Contact: Christine Dufour

June 30, 2011                                                                                               Phone: (651) 582-8720

 

Nine Minnesota Students Earn the American Indian Ethel Curry
Scholarship for Academic Excellence

Roseville, Minn. – Nine Minnesota students recently received the American Indian Ethel Curry Scholarship for academic excellence. The scholarships are awarded by the Minnesota Academic Excellence Foundation (MAEF) in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Education.

 

“It is an honor to recognize these deserving students for their academic excellence,” said Melissa Malen, Minnesota Academic Excellence Foundation chair. “I commend these students and wish them continued success as they continue to advance their academic endeavors and pursue fulfilling careers. May these students continue to honor the legacy of Ethel Curry.”

 

The 2011 Ethel Curry Scholars:

• Katherine Beane – University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
• Katie Cannon – University of Minnesota, School of Medicine
• Sara Scully – Augsburg College
• Francis Folstrom – Leech Lake Tribal College
• Donovan Sather – Bemidji State University
• Thomas Jones – Bemidji State University
• Shannon Geshick Bullen – Metropolitan State University
• Bryan Archambault – Leech Lake Tribal
• Leila Northbird – Bemidji State University

 

Ethel Curry was born in Hixton, Wisconsin near Black River Falls, in 1888. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1914 with a B.A. in Mathematics and Biology. After graduation, Ms. Curry applied for and was accepted to two medical schools, but due to health considerations, she did not attend either. She instead worked for the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and worked for nearly 40 years as a surgical secretary. She retired in 1953.

 

According to her niece, Jeanne Angel, Ms. Curry lived simply and frugally, without television or telephone. She occasionally traveled and had special interests in botany and horticulture. She was a lifelong scholar with a lively, inquiring mind and an independent spirit. She read National Geographic and scientific journals avidly, well into her last years.

 

Her tremendous wealth, which was not disclosed to her family, was attained through successful investments in a growing company called Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M). According to her friends, Ms. Curry was a warm and sociable person, with compassion particularly for American Indian people. On March 24, 1995, Ethel Curry died at the age of 107.

 

The Minnesota Academic Excellence Foundation (MAEF) is a non-profit organization that promotes academic excellence in Minnesota public and nonpublic schools and communities through public-private partnerships. The MAEF Board of Directors selected the Ethel Curry Scholars based on the scholarship criteria.

 

Ethel Curry Scholars must meet the following requirements to be eligible:

• Enrolled in a Minnesota-based tribe or community
• Able to prove ¼ descendent
• A Minnesota resident
• Attending a Minnesota institution of higher education at the junior, senior or graduate level
• Possess a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or higher
• Filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Applied for assistance from the Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program

 

A list of other required documents appears on the Ethel Curry Scholarship application..

 

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1500 Highway 36 West, Roseville, MN 55113-4266 651-582-8200 TTY: 651-582-8201 education.state.mn.us 1500 Highway 36 West, Roseville, MN 55113-4266 651-582-8200

TTY: 651-582-8201 education.state.mn.us