Memorial Scholarship Donation Provides Support for Diné Studies and S.T.E.M. Majors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2022
TSAILE, Ariz. — A former social worker on the Navajo Nation has donated $25,000 to Diné College to establish the Jack and Maggie Eutsler Scholarship. The scholarship will provide Diné College students with a $500 annual scholarship starting Fall 2022. The scholarship will be made available to students enrolled in an associate or bachelor degree program within the School of Diné Studies and Education or the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Ms. Elizabeth Eutsler chose to honor her parent’s dedication to education and their long-time support for Navajo culture by creating a scholarship for Diné College students. “I was torn between funding the students in the S.T.E.M. program, which would honor my father, and the Diné studies program which has emphasis in all the traditional aspects of Diné culture,” says Ms. Eutsler. “I then decided to request that a scholarship be given in even years to a S.T.E.M. student and in odd years to a student in the Diné studies.”
The Eutsler family ties to the Navajo Nation go back many years. In fact, Ms. Eutsler began her professional career in Chinle, AZ working as a social worker. Over the years she worked for Chinle Valley School, Navajo Community College and the Navajo Nation Division of Social Services in Crownpoint, NM. Based on her experience working with the Navajo people, she chose to work with Diné College specifically to bolster Navajo education.
Mr. Eutsler worked as a chemist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory after marrying Mrs. Eutsler. After Mr. Eutsler’s death, his wife began talking about starting a Jack Eutsler Memorial Scholarship. Unfortunately, this did not materialize before she passed away in May of 2021, six weeks before her 101st birthday.
Diné College has made raising funds for scholarships and in the last month has raised more than $375,000 to provide support for Warrior students. 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.
