June 2, 1998Students
Chenaye A. Brashear, a speech-language-hearing major who transferred to KU from Haskell Indian Nations University, is the daughter of Ray and Evelyn Brashear, Coweta, Okla. Her husband, Jason Sutton of Wagoner, Okla., is a Haskell sophomore. Brashear is a member of the Cherokee Nation.
The scholarship program was established by Congress in 1992 to honor former Congressman Udall and his legacy of public service. The Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation in Tucson, Ariz., administers the program. The first scholarships were awarded in 1995.
Undergraduates who intend to pursue careers related to the environment and to American Indians and Alaska native undergraduates who intend to pursue careers in health care and tribal public policy are eligible for the one-year scholarships. Applicants must be in their sophomore or junior year and must be nominated by their university.
Brashear will complete a bachelor's degree in speech-language-hearing in May 1999. She plans to pursue a master's degree in speech-language-hearing, enabling her to work as a speech-language pathologist. She received an associate of arts degree in liberal arts from Haskell in May 1996.
As a child, Brashear considered a career in dentistry and later, a career in education. Her mother is a former teacher and her father, a pharmacist.
In her application, Brashear noted a need for American Indian speech pathologists. In addition to meeting a need in American Indian communities, Brashear said, "I see this as an opportunity to make a difference in someone's life and to work with both children and adults.
"Many Native Americans are without the opportunity to receive speech-language-hearing services for various reasons."
She listed reasons including a lack of finances or of encouragement, feelings of incompetence about impairments, locations of speech clinics and misunderstanding about the purpose of speech clinics.
At KU, Brashear is a Dean's Scholar and a Kansas Native American Training Program Scholar. At Haskell, Brashear received the Haskell Literary Society Club poetry award for 1995 and received the Haskell Foundation Academic Scholarship Award for 1994 and 1995.
Diane Frome Loeb, KU associate professor of speech-language-hearing, is a Dean's Scholar mentor for Brashear. "Chenaye's strong sense of dedication to helping others as well as her ability to work with all ages of people in a positive manner are very promising indicators for her success in speech-language pathology," Loeb said.
Kim A. Wilcox, chair of KU's Department of Speech-Language-Hearing, directs the Native American Training Program at KU, developed to help meet the need for speech-language pathologists among American Indians.
"Chenaye embodies the best aspects of the Udall scholarship. She is committed to serving her community and has the potential to become a leader in speech and hearing issues among Native Americans," Wilcox said.
Brashear has worked in office jobs at Haskell and at Lawrence businesses. She also has served in the Lawrence community, volunteering at the Salvation Army to serve lunches and being a tutor in a Lawrence mentoring program for American Indian youth. She also volunteers with a support group for senior citizens with Parkinson's disease.
Brashear and her husband met in an English class at Haskell and were married Jan. 9, 1998. They live in married student housing at Haskell. "Our hometowns are only 20 minutes apart, but we hadn't met until we came to Haskell," Brashear said.
This summer Brashear is enrolled in two KU courses. She will attend the Scholar Recognition Weekend, Aug. 6 to 9, in Tucson, sponsored by the Udall foundation for all scholars in the program.
Story by Mary Jane Dunlap (785) 864-8853