New Scholarship Provides Support for Social and Behavioral Science Majors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2022
TSAILE, Ariz. — The Diné-Biligaana Social Sciences Scholarship will provide Diné College students with a $500 annual scholarship to support their educational journey. The scholarship will be made available to students enrolled in a bachelor program within the School of Business and Social Science, pursuing a Social and Behavioral Science, Psychology, or Sociology degree.
The Diné-Biligaana Social Sciences Scholarship resulted from the collaborative efforts between Diné College and Larry L. Bucher, LCSW/C, a School Counselor who previously worked at Rough Rock Demonstration School and The Lower Greasewood Elementary School to provide social-emotional and educational services to school administrators, students, and parents in the 1990s.
“The name of the scholarship, Diné-Biligaana, reflects the cross-cultural collaboration between the Navajo and European peoples to support Diné men and women working to complete degrees in the College’s social sciences programs,” says Bucher. “I hope that the funding will strengthen the cultural, educational, and personal foundations out of which effective services can be provided to all Navajo people on a continuing basis.”
Bucher’s experience on the Navajo Nation began in 1993. After working in Rough Rock for four years, he provide services for another year to special needs students at the Lower Greasewood Elementary School through the Arizona Institute for Behavioral Medicine. Later on that year, he returned to Baltimore, Maryland where he continues to live.
Diné College is a four-year tribal college located on the Navajo reservation with six campuses and two microsites across Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah and primarily serves Navajo students. The school offers 20 bachelor degrees, 16 associate degrees, and 6 certificate programs. The school is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The College, established in 1968, is the first tribal college and was formerly named Navajo Community College.
