CTUIR Students Earn Full Scholarships to Whitman College

Whitman College in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) is proud to announce that Anthony Crawford, Sky Smith and Allen Zamudio have been awarded the Šináata Scholarship. All three are 2024 graduates of Nixyáawii Community School, a public charter school located on the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton, Oregon.

“We are so pleased to have Allen, Anthony and Sky joining the Whitman College community as Šináata Scholars,” says President Sarah Bolton. “Their academic achievements and leadership qualities are an honor to the families and the communities who have raised them. We look forward to welcoming them to campus this fall for the next step in their educational journeys.” 

Lisa Ganuelas, CTUIR Board of Trustees Member at Large, says, “On behalf of the Board, I congratulate Nixyáawii Community School graduates Sky Smith, Allen Zamudio and Anthony Crawford for being selected recipients of the Šináata Scholarship at Whitman College. The Board and I wish them the best in their academic endeavors.”

The Šináata Scholarship is Whitman’s most generous scholarship, covering the full cost of attendance at Whitman. It builds on a number of educational initiatives developed under the framework of the Memorandum of Agreement that Whitman and the CTUIR signed in 2017 and renewed in 2022.

Ganuelas appreciates the opportunity the scholarship creates. “The fact the scholarship covers the full cost of attending Whitman College greatly increases the chances of Anthony, Sky and Allen graduating with degrees and with little or no debt that too many college students incur today. And when students can count on housing, food and transportation being taken care of, it takes a heavy load off their shoulders and allows them to concentrate on their studies.” 

Meet the 2024 Šináata Scholars

“I cannot wait to attend Whitman College and show more of my culture with anyone and everyone who would like to learn,” says Anthony Crawford. He regularly participates in cultural activities such as powwows and seasonal ceremonies, including the Pendleton Round-Up, where he dances in the arena, the “Happy Canyon” night show and the parade. Crawford is also a dedicated volunteer for the local middle school’s Outdoor School program and in community clean up projects.

Sky Smith is a three-sport varsity athlete who graduated as Nixyáawii’s Class of 2024 Salutatorian. He was invited to play football at the California Indigenous Bowl on the Soboba Reservation in December 2023. Smith is an advocate for his culture and heritage, going to powwows across the United States as well as working with the community back home in Oregon. “I am thankful, excited and ready to embark on a new adventure,” says Smith.

Allen Zamudio is a Nixyáawii honor roll student, single-handedly ran the yearbook club and was active in the school’s CommuniCare Charter. He says, “I am honored to receive the Šináata Scholarship and excited to attend Whitman in the fall.” Zamudio is passionate about forestry and conservation and plans to enter Whitman’s Forestry and Environmental Management program, which includes two years at Duke University and results in a master’s degree. 

The Nixyáawii school community celebrates and stands behind their graduates. “Anthony, Sky and Allen will be great additions to Whitman. Each student will bring uniqueness and positivity to the campus. The Golden Eagle family wishes them well in their journey,” says Principal Ryan Heinrich.

Šináata Scholars Make a Difference at Whitman

From left: Aiden Wolf ’26, President Sarah Bolton, Jeanine Gordon and Lindsey Pasena-Littlesky ’26 at the 2023 Pášx̣apa Powwow

The first Šináata Scholarships were awarded in 2022 to Lindsey Pasena-Littlesky ’26 and Aiden Wolf ’26. Since coming to Whitman, both have played integral roles in Native American outreach on campus as members of the Pášx̣apa Advisory Council for CTUIR Collaboration and through leadership for events including the Pášx̣apa Powwow and the Salmon Film Festival. 

“It has been such a pleasure working with Lindsey and Aiden,” says Jeanine Gordon, Special Assistant to the President for Native American Outreach. “Their activities at Whitman have greatly amplified the opportunities for the campus community to connect with the CTUIR community.” 

Wolf will graduate in May 2026 with a degree in Theater and Pasena-Littlesky in December 2026 with a degree in Politics-Environmental Studies.

About the Šináata Scholarship

The Šináata Scholarship ensures that the entire cost of attending Whitman College will be covered for selected students who are enrolled CTUIR members. It may also be awarded to Native American students from other parts of the Pacific Northwest who have close ties to and have demonstrated active community involvement with the CTUIR.

Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, the cultural education arm of the CTUIR, proposed the name Šináata [pronounced shin-AHH-tah] for the scholarship. According to Tamastslikt Director Bobbie Connor, the name is in the original Cayuse language and means “to seek.” 

This name was recommended to provide the CTUIR and Whitman College the opportunity to actively use an Old Cayuse term in modern time as a signal that the language is still in use. It also provides an occasion to align the ancient practice of vision seeking with the pursuit of higher education, seeking knowledge, enlightenment and insight.