By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
In a ceremony attended by dozens of students and faculty members Tuesday, four Mt. Edgecumbe High School seniors signed contracts to play on the women’s basketball team at Northwest Indian College.
NWIC is located on the Lummi Nation in Bellingham, Washington, and developed out of the Lummi Indian School of Aquaculture. Since 2010, the college has offered four-year bachelor degrees in fields such as Native Studies, Native Environmental Science and Community Advocates and Response Education.
The signing ceremony, in which the four student athletes accepted full scholarships, was held in the B.J. McGillis Gym, the place where the girls honed their basketball skills and played home games in their years at Mt. Edgecumbe.
In March, the Lady Braves took second place in the state basketball championship in Anchorage, losing only to Grace Christian in the final match-up.
The four students signing to play ball at NWIS are Kathy Jones, Cadence Dull, Genneva Kamkoff, and Bethany Akaran.
Jones, who comes from the arctic village of Ambler, said the Lady Braves basketball players are her closest friends, and she’ll miss those who will be going their own way after graduation. She’s looking forward to NWIC, “learning a lot more, growing as a player, going to a different school with different teammates.”
Basketball, she said, “is super fun... it’s a good way to stay fit as a person. I like how competitive it is.”
She plans to study elementary teaching in college, and would like to return to Alaska, perhaps to Ambler, after earning her degree.
Cadence Dull, from Toksook, said, “I’ll miss my friends, the environment, definitely my coach.”
Dull said she hasn’t yet chosen a field of study, but is excited for the chance to try out a new environment. “I’m looking forward to playing with the team, getting to know the coaches, my new teammates,” she said.
Lady Braves basketball coach Candis Cook said she knows first hand the thrill of being chosen to play collegiate level basketball.
“I remember this experience for myself when I was graduating high school,” Cook said. “It’s life-changing, and it’s something that you never forget. So I’m just proud of them; I’m excited for them; my soul is happy.”
Bethany Akaran, of Kotlik, said that when she arrived at Mt. Edgecumbe she was already determined to excel at basketball.
“I just had the motivation to keep pushing and trying to do the best I can to play over my own skills,” Akaran said. “I grew up watching my siblings playing basketball… just having the good skills and I just wanted to follow along.”
She is the third of four children in her family, and plans to pursue a degree in early childhood education before returning to Alaska.
Genneva Kamkoff, of Anchorage, is considering early childhood education and dentistry at NWIC, and takes with her “the memories, also, the first time at state and being a region champ.”
Coach Cook said she’s happy that the athletes have the chance to attend college without having to take on the debt that often goes with a college education.
“We’re excited that their education will be free, and just add this new opportunity and experience for them,” the coach said.
Northwest Indian College is one of about three dozen tribal colleges and universities throughout the country, and is the only one in the Pacific Northwest.
“We are a part of the AIHEC conference,” said NWIC athletic director James Matthias, who attended the signing in the gym. “AIHEC is the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, and we come together once a year for a national tournament. This year, our men’s (team) took first place and our women’s took second place.”
With about 1,000 undergraduates enrolled, NWIC has representation from about 100 different tribes across America, he said.
While the school offers on-line education, student athletes live a more traditional college life in dormitories.
“All of our education and curriculum at our college are all indigenized,” he said. “It’s unique, our very own, and it’s built for our students to go back to their own tribal nations and help succeed and help have an impact within their own communities.”
Mt. Edgecumbe High School seniors stand with their contracts to play basketball with Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, Washington beginning in the fall, Tuesday at MEHS. From the left are Bethany Akaran, Genneva Kamkoff, Lady Braves coach Candis Cook, Kathy Jones and Cadence Dull. (Photo provided)
