Nicole Begay received a $2,500 award gifted by a Friends of Hubbell Anonymous Donor. She is in her third year of studies and is attending University of Oklahoma. She studied her first year at the University of New Mexico before transferring to OU. Originally from Shiprock, NM, and raised on the Navajo Reservation, Nicole is the first in her family to attend college and is self-supporting her studies in Mechanical Engineering.

“One of the most pressing issues for many Native communities is water access. Forty percent of the homes on the Navajo Reservation lack running water and must haul from windmill sources to their homes,” Nicole said.

“In middle school, I conducted a science experiment on the water from our windmill, after 3-days of testing, I was able to determine that the water was contaminated and full of bacteria and unsafe for consumption.”

Nicole is also taking Indigenous Mapping courses in order to bring new technologies, including Artificial Intelligence. Her goal is to address long existing problems on the Navajo Reservation such as voting, gaining access to state documents, improving availability to First Responders support, and improve access to clean water and other public services.

“Being awarded this scholarship (from Friends of Hubbell) will help me strive to complete my engineering degree. This scholarship will also help me better balance my job and schoolwork. Most importantly, this scholarship will help fund my tuition so that I can help my Indigenous people.” she said.