My name is Amanda Littlesun, I am a child of God, wife, and mother of a large beautiful family. I am a non-traditional student and an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe and have had the opportunity to be the Director of the Domestic Violence Prevention Program for the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council for the last four years, and before that I was working in Behavioral Health Services. Recently I was invited to be a part of the steering committee for a Native American organization looking to start an orphanage for children being placed in foster care. As I was sitting there listening to foster families both indigenous and non-native, they were discussing how most of their children have experienced some sort of trauma and that they need to have therapy or counseling of some sort. They shared how difficult it had been for them to take their children to receive their services, because they had to take them off the reservation and then travel back most reservations are about an hour or more away from those places where they receive their services. That day a seed was planted in my heart. I have been working in the professional community for a while now. I see how there is few Indigenous people who are certified to provide services and the load they carry is heavy and yet still we need more of them! I also have seen the opportunity for funding fall to the wayside due to people having the passion but not the certification to qualify for the funding. I decided that day to just see how much it would take to finish my education, and so here I am continuing on my journey to finish my degree. I desire to finish my educational journey so that I can give back to the Indigenous communities and making an impact by providing them with services on the reservation and allowing them access to their rights as a human being by having services in their own community. I have been applying for scholarships to assist me in relieving some of the financial burden and cost of going back to college. The cost of living has increased significantly not just for me, for everyone. I appreciate the opportunity to apply for such a great scholarship. By receiving this scholarship I would be able to focus more on my studies and worry less about my financial situation. I could get my books before classes start and be able to be prepared to start as soon as class begins and not worry about paying my tuition and then buying books a couple weeks after classes begin. I appreciate your support, thank you.

My name is Amanda Littlesun, I am a child of God, wife and mother to a large, beautiful family. I am a non-traditional student still working at my full-time job while pursuing my educational goals. I have exactly one year before I graduate with my bachelors in psychology. I also am an enrolled member of the blackfeet tribe in Montana. I had a Great grandmother whose name was Ursula Valentine. I remember as a little girl going to her house to visit and she would always give us cookies. We didn’t get to spend much time with her as I was growing up because the onset of her dementia had started getting worse. I remember when we had to bring her to the nursing home, where they placed her in the dementia unit. We would go visit her and she always remembered my grandpa, her son. Everyone knew my grandpa as Smitty. And I remember when we would go visit she would constantly ask “who are you?” and I would reply. “My name is Amanda. I am Jeannie’s daughter and Jeannie is Smitty’s daughter.” she would always say “Oh! Smitty is my son.” then we would start chatting with her, and sometimes she would pause and look away, and every time she would look back at us, she would ask us who are you? That was my first encounter with Alzheimer’s. As I began taking nutrition classes and got into weightlifting. I learned so much about the effects of food on our bodies. I wish I would have known that sooner rather than working towards a healthier mind and body as I age. It is interesting to me to see how food, nutrition and lifestyle all contribute to all Alzheimer’s and dementia related illnesses. I often wonder if my grandmother was affected by her diet and lifestyle as she grew up on the blackfeet reservation. It is no secret, that Native Americans have a higher rate of Diabetes than other non-native Americans. It makes you wonder if the government rations and the immediate lifestyle change and living in poverty Contributed to the diabetic rate among those who have lived on the reservations, their whole lives. I have learned that Alzheimer’s resembles Diabetes in many ways, almost to the point where they might change Alzheimer’s to diabetes type three. I would like to say that I practice a healthy lifestyle and eat organically. But, the actual reality what made me recall the relationship with my Great grandmother Ursula, is that I was pre-diabetic and had to take nutrition classes and make some lifestyle changes. I want to honor my ancestors for all that they’ve done for us. Living a long healthy life is a great way to honor them. 

My name is Amanda Littlesun. I am an enrolled member of the Blackfeet tribe, I was born and raised on the Blackfeet reservation. I come from a large family and most of my family still reside on the reservation. I think that is a wonderful testimony of the family legacy. My grandparents left us. Growing up on the reservation was great. We always had family around. My mom‘s side of the family was small, but close knit. My grandmother passed away before I was born, so I never got to meet her. But my grandfather was set on keeping the Family close. He had land in the mountains. We often went to stay and spend time at the lake as kids. The trailer we slept in, had no electricity or water. We had to use the outhouse, and always had a buddy never go alone. We cooked over the open fire and ate on the picnic tables outside. We had two swings and we would always fight over the One that didn’t have the plastic rope because it hurt our hands when we would swing really high. We would ride bareback and have relay races around the corral. Then we always had an evening ride in the pick up. The adults would sit in the front of my grandpa‘s old Dodge ram. All the grandkids would sit in the back of the truck. We loved to sit on the tailgate as we drove through the mountains for an evening ride. Our cousins would push each other off the tailgate,  and grandpa would speed up as soon as you got close enough to jump back on. It was so much fun. We would swim in the rivers and chase wild chickens. Try to catch gophers and freshwater shrimp in the spring out front. One time I was too sick to join for the trip to the lake. But we had to pick up my sister for something and I had to guide us to the trailer. I remember everything which turn to take, gate to open, and hill to drive over. I wonder if I can still remember now? Those definitely were some of the greatest memories I have I cherish them.  My dad side was a very large family. My grandparents had many events to keep our family close. Christmas was the biggest part of the family gatherings. Everyone seem to show up for Christmas. I remember the house being full all the shoes and coats by the front door. Everyone would bring a dish and Grandma would never let you taste anything before the prayer. As you come in, you’ll give everyone a hug or kiss and everyone so happy to see you. We would sing Christmas carols eat, and pass out gifts. The younger kids always got to pass them out, it was like giving out joy. We also had a family picnic each year. My grandparents had the biggest yard. We would all gather and barbecue. The little cousins would run around the yard playing. Someone was always strumming a guitar and singing always erupted. I miss those hugs from my grandma and my grandpa‘s whisker tickles. That is what I think of when people ask me what is it like growing up on the reservation. I don’t see poverty I don’t see addiction or abuse. I see legacy, and the beauty of the land my ancestors fought for. It’s good medicine for the soul to be blessed to be Native American.

My name is Amanda Littlesun, I am a child of God, wife, and mother of a large family. Blessed with 7 kids of our own. Although half of my children are older and half younger, they still all reside at home. My oldest is 22 years old and just graduated job corps. He went to college for one semester all the way in Arizona. It was too far for his first time away from home. He came back and worked for a year and realized he needed some sort of training to get a well paying job. We supported him in his journey. He returned home after a year away and hopefully will find a job soon. Our oldest daughter just turned 21. She has always been a smart girl. As soon as she graduated she wanted to get straight to work. She’s had the same serving job for the last three years, and recently was accepted to cosmetology school. We support her in her pursuit of a new career. Our third oldest son is super smart and went straight to college after graduating from high school. He was on the dean’s list and then made the choice to try to just work. He’s a wonderful server and actually makes so much in tips I don’t know if he will go back to college anytime soon! But at the age of 19 he thinks he’s going to move out soon. We support him in his decisions and efforts to gain independence. We have a senior in high school and she has done so much already at the age of 17! She was last year’s co-Senator for girls state and went all the way to Washington D.C. she played all star flag football and received the award for leadership. She will be headed to another university only two hours away. We have a sixth grade daughter who struggled to transition from elementary to middle school. She is challenged by dyslexia and dysgraphia which she attends tutoring for twice a week. She loves volleyball and wants to try basketball next. She tries to learn how to play the guitar and loves art! She’s going to be our busy bee. Next, our ten year old son is in the fourth grade this year and was a little bummed out because at the end of the year last year he was testing for the gifted and talented quest program. You have to test until you get something wrong and then it automatically turns off. He needed a 95 or higher to be considered a genius, and he scored an 85 so he was a little disappointed. But I am super impressed and always share that story. He is a great athlete. He loves running for cross country, basketball, and football is now a favorite. Proud of him for completing his communion this year as well. My babygirl is only 7 years old and just finished second grade. She can finally play sports, she’s super excited for that. She is the baby of a large family, so she’s the funniest little girl. She loves all her friends and is so kind to everyone. She cares about everyone who needs a helping hand. All our children are a blessing, but supporting them to find their own way while I pursue my dreams has been the most challenging. This scholarship will help me be able to focus on my studies while still being able to support and be a role model for our children. Thank you for the opportunity to apply, I appreciate your consideration. God bless.

My name is Amanda Littlesun, I am a child of God, wife, and mother of a large family. My family is a beautiful blended family, and we are so blessed. It is sort of a glimpse of the love of God. Each one of my children are all so different in personality and unique in their own talents and abilities, all have different passions and life choices. This has diversified the way my husband and I have to have relationships with each of our children. The relationship between my husband and I is the most important, the way we interact with each other and love each other is the biggest example of how we want our children to go out into life and begin their own relationships. We also understand that we have been blessed with nine young minds to help shape for the future. Some need extra support and others need more love and encouragement and others are super independent and just need us to show them one time and then their off to conquer their mission! We want to leave a legacy of love for our family. So many families are living apart from each other and we have learned from experience that plays a role in how our lives were shaped. As a child I was painfully shy. My mother suffered postpartum depression and my dad said during the time I was born they really didn’t know how to support someone suffering with that. So I grew up closer to my dad’s side of the family. Which caused me to have to deal with rejection and abandonment in my most formative years. As a shy child, I didn’t have very many friendships. I had a friend who became my best friend in the third grade. We stayed friends throughout life. As very young adults we both had our children around the same age. Her life was challenging and she suffered from mental health issues. As she went on in life her relationships took her away from her kids. But I always stayed close with her two older daughters. I have seen them struggle themselves and long for the love of their mother. A pain I myself am familiar with. I know that is why the Lord has blessed me with them. To love them like a mother. I see the oldest daughter going down the same road as my friend. But because I love their mom and was blessed to know them, I don’t ever turn her away. I will love her until she decides she wants more, or not, I will love her. My childhood experiences have inspired my college choices. To pursue psychology and I look forward to becoming a counselor and therapist. There are so many people out there who have experienced hard and difficult things at no cause of their own. These people deserve someone who cares and listens to them. I hope I can make a difference in my future career. This scholarship would allow me to pursue and focus on my studies. It would take some of the financial stressors of college away. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to apply for this scholarship. Thank you for your consideration.

My name is Amanda Littlesun, I am a child of God, wife, and mother of a large family. As a child I grew up on the Blackfeet reservation and am an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe. As I grew up on the reservation I learned a lot about life. I have a beautiful family and most of them still live on the reservation, which says that my grandparents left us a wonderful legacy to love our family. As I grew up and moved off the reservation to attend college I noticed that there was much more opportunity off the reservation and as I began to have my own family I decided that I would raise them in an area that offered them more. I am not saying people from the reservation cannot make it in life, but that opportunity is always present as often as it is elsewhere. Education was my opportunity, and I took it. After attending college as a single mother life had gotten challenging, and I decided to just work. I have a great job and I like what I do very much. I am the Director for the Domestic Violence Prevention Program at Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council. As I have been in my position at work, and have been a part of many meetings with the Tribes of Montana. I started to notice a lack of representation in certain areas. I noticed that there is much to be done and a small number of Indigenous people doing the work. In that moment a seed was planted. Not only do I have the desire to be an example for my children and family but I have this aching desire to make a difference and help the Indigenous community. That is when I decided to just check in and see how long would it take me to graduate in my college pursuit of my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Turns out I was closer than I thought! I could have kicked my younger self for quitting so close to the finish. But life’s experiences is what brought me to my purpose and gives me the drive to continue my journey and to continue my education. After I graduate with my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, I plan to pursue my Masters degree in counseling. I would hope to offer supportive services for the Tribes and Indigenous communities. I hope to inspire my children to pursue their dreams and grasp opportunity when it arises. I appreciate the opportunity to apply for this scholarship. This scholarship would bless me with the ability to focus on my studies and not stress so much about the financial burden of the cost of education. Thank you for your consideration.

My name is Amanda Littlesun, I am a child of God, wife, mother, and a non-traditional student returning to college after a long break. I grew up on the Blackfeet reservation as an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe in Browning, MT. While growing up on a reservation I had experienced many difficulties as I do not believe that the reservations in America are created for people to succeed. Yet, I also love my hometown and this is where my family is and the land my ancestors fought for. When I think of home, I think of good things. Most of my family are still there, which is a statement in itself. My grandparents left us a beautiful family legacy, and I am grateful for the opportunity to raise my family off the reservation, but I still miss my family and all the wonderful memories. I wanted my children to have a greater range of opportunity and chose to move to Billings MT to attend college. I was a single mother and life was challenging and I ended up taking a break to support my family better. After working for years I became the Director of the Domestic Violence Prevention Program at the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council. I love my job and currently am still working currently. I love being able to offer resources to the Tribes in Montana. After working for a while in my position, I have been to so many meetings where the Tribes were lacking Native American representation in certain areas of need and how they had to travel to get help in all these areas. That planted a seed in my heart that I could possibly go back to college and get my degree to offer and represent my Tribe and Native Americans in the professional field. I had been praying about returning to college and was talking with my pastor and his wife about it, that I had a desire to do more. They had asked me if I could do anything what would it be? I answered right away as a counselor or therapist to serve the Tribal community. They then told me that just the night before they had dinner with their church administrators and they were discussing how they need a counselor at their church. I felt the call within me being confirmed. I gave the college a call and found out that I was closer to graduating than I thought! It was like confirmation, so I enrolled myself back into college and am drawing closer to graduating and obtaining my degree. I have returned to college with a purpose and a passion to complete what I was meant to do from the beginning. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to apply for this scholarship. As a first generation student I most definitely need the financial support as I move closer to my career goals. I have been taking more time to scale back from work to put my focus on my college education, and being awarded with a scholarship would allow me to focus more on my studies and not be stressed about the financial burden of the cost of education. Thank you for your consideration.

As an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation, and growing up on the reservation. I became familiar with the culture in lifestyle that under served communities struggle with. As an adult, I moved away to an urban area. I began working for a Tribal organization, That serves the tribes of Montana. This position has been an eye-opener as to how the government works in relation to the tribal nations. As I had grown in my network, I met many people, often times they had referred me or requested that I apply for positions of advocacy or Tribal representation. I take these roles very serious. I see the need for supportive services as well as Tribal representation in the professional field. Working with grants, I see much funding fall to the way side due to lack of certification. This has inspired me to return back to college to obtain my degree. It started out as just a thought, then I reached out to the college and ask them what I needed to graduate with my Bachelor's degree and what were the steps to becoming a licensed counselor/therapist. After meeting with the college, I realized, and I was closer to obtaining my bachelors degree then I had expected. I then enrolled in college at the same time. I continue to work full-time at my job. I serve on two boards for advocacy and volunteer. The first board is the Montana Montana board of crime control, I sit as a Tribal representative and assist the state in their strategic planning for funding and victim, advocacy and supportive services. We vote on how the funding will be spent and I always consider and try to do my best as a Tribal representative. The second board I sit on is the behavioral health advisory council for the department of health and human services. I have been approached about starting an indigenous subcommittee for the state of Montana, I agreed and it after one year we had submitted a recommendation for funding of a pilot project for traditional ways of healing. Currently we had been awarded a small amount of money to establish a pilot project for the next few years. Together with my sub committee members, we hope to get this pilot project up and running as soon as we can before the funding is depleted. We are also working on partnering with a behavioral health program through a university to have an annual gathering for traditional healers to network and share knowledge and best practices. It has been a lot of work, but I continue to work towards the goal. I am thankful for every opportunity that I have been given to work towards making change and Tribal nations. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to apply for your scholarship.