Natalie Becenti, English Graduate, Receives American Indian College Fund Scholarship

Natalie Becenti, who graduated from UNM with her BA in English in May 2011, has received a scholarship from the American Indian College Fund to continue her higher education. A member of Acoma Pueblo and a former Miss Indian UNM, Ms. Becenti will continue her education by pursuing a second BA in Family Studies. The AICF scholarship will fund Ms. Becenti for the remaining semesters she has to complete her second degree.

Ms. Becenti is the first member in her family to attend college. She plans to complete her BA in Family Studies and then apply to the MA program in Counseling and Language, Literacy, & Sociocultural studies, with the future goal of working as a family counselor for native youth. She would like to focus on incarcerated youth and encourage higher educational goals for each of them.

Later on, she plans to attend law school to study Family law and practice within Acoma Pueblo and its surrounding communities.

She specifically thanks Dr. Jesse Alemán and James Burbank of the English Department for their teaching and mentorship. “Professors like them, who believe in students’ potential, have made my time here at UNM wonderful,” she said.

Established in 1989, The American Indian College Fund provides roughly 6,000 scholarships a year to American Indian students to promote student education and Native culture.