Every year the Theosophical Order of Service provides a scholarship to a second-year nursing student from the Oglala Lakota College. We would like to introduce the latest recipient Bethany Iyotte.

We would also like to thank everyone who donates to this project. It does not just help the student but the whole indigenous community for many generations. Congratulations Bethany and best wishes!

My name is Bethany Iyotte. I am a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in Rosebud, South Dakota where I was raised by my parents Paulette (Whiting) and Mark Iyotte Sr. I have two brothers, Pat and Mark, Jr.

I graduated in 2011 from Todd County High School in Mission, South Dakota. After high school, I worked for two years as a kindergarten paraprofessional for the Todd County School District. I also received my Certified Nursing Assistant credentials from Sinte Gleska University and worked for four years as a CNA for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Early Head Start Program. It was in this position that I became more interested in a nursing career. I wanted to become more knowledgeable in the medical health field and provide preventive measures for the younger generation.

I am currently in my second year of nursing school at Oglala Lakota College in Pine Ridge, South Dakota where I will obtain my Associates of Nursing in June 2021. I plan to follow my dreams of being a traveling nurse and working for the Indian Health Services and provide quality health care for indigenous people.

I am very grateful for this scholarship. Thank you so much.