For each year of the past five years the Theosophical Order of Service has awarded a scholarship to a student at the Oglala Lakota College, School of Nursing located on the Pine Ridge Reservation, the poorest in the Nation. The student is chosen by the college based on our criteria. This year’s scholarship recipient is Tate Locust. Congratulations! And best wishes for your continued studies, Tate. Read about Tate in his own words:

“Greetings, my name is Tate Olowan Locust and I am a recent recipient of your Theosophical Order of Service scholarship. I am writing to thank you for awarding me such an amazing scholarship and to tell you a little bit about myself.

“I initially got interested in medicine back in 2008 when the local ambulance service was holding a free class in town. I was just out of college because I could no longer afford to stay in school and didn’t know what I was going to do with my life. I decided that this class was just what I needed.

“I took the class, passed my exams and became a certified EMT-Basic and started working for that same ambulance service. After a few years of being an EMT I decided I wanted to be able to do more for the people I responded to and realized I needed to become a Paramedic, so I signed up for classes at Western Dakota Tech. all while continuing to work full time.

“A few years later I became a certified EMT-Paramedic and was fascinated at all the things I had learned and realized I wanted to learn a different side to medicine other than emergency medicine and signed up for classes to become a nurse. Both my older sisters, Rainbow and Wetu, have graduated from the OLC Nursing Program and have been nurses for over four years now, and they both love what they do.

“I’m still working full time as a Paramedic and working full time doesn’t usually qualify me for the majority of scholarships and assistance to continue going to school. That’s why this scholarship was so important to me. Unlike most I don’t have the luxury of being able to attend school full time in this program and not work.

“I cannot thank you enough for helping make this scholarship possible and taking a big weight off my shoulders. It’s enough to give me breathing room to continue to try and do what I have come to love, caring for and taking care of people. Again thank you for all you do.”

Tate Olowan Locust
NREMT-Paramedic
Future RN