Rachel Cushman was on the cusp of what she thought was financial security for college when the floor fell from underneath her.
The year was 2005 and Cushman, 18, had set her sights on becoming the first person in her family to attend college. Cushman was in the final stages of securing a scholarship through the Gates Millennium Scholars program for minority students. That’s when she says things went south.
After sending in her Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood to prove she was a member of the Chinook Indian Nation, she received a rejection letter. Cushman learned she was ineligible, she says, because the Chinook tribe is not recognized by the federal government.
