BSNC is excited to announce Marilynn Nashalook of Unalakleet as the 2023 awardee of the Beringia Settlement Trust (BST) Tim Towarak Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is a $10,000 merit-based competitive scholarship awarded annually to one high-performing student enrolled in an accredited college or university. The scholarship honors the late Tim Towarak, who worked tirelessly to advocate for Alaska Native people.
Marilynn is a senior at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) where she studies psychology. She chose psychology as a means to positively impact as many people as she can — and it’s a profession that will make her family proud. Marilynn says it hurts her to see others in pain, so she is empowering herself to help those in need.
Fluent in French, Marilynn has earned the Seal of Biliteracy for the language. Always an ambitious student, she has accumulated a 3.94 GPA in her time at UAA and earned her multiple spots on the Dean’s and Chancellor’s lists. Marilynn’s desire to help others shows through in her long history of volunteering, which includes food prep for St. Patrick’s Church and the local food bank, as well as assisting with numerous student events at Anchorage schools.
Candidates for the Tim Towarak Memorial Scholarship are professional career-track shareholder or descendant students with a passion for advocating for, or serving, Alaska Native people. Students do not apply separately for the scholarship. Preference for the scholarship award will be given to students who are Alaska residents. For more information, go to www.beringstraits.com/scholarship.