Jacob and Alden Wauneka

August 07, 2017

Meet Jacob and Alden, two brothers who attend St. Michael Indian School (SMIS) in St. Michael, AZ through scholarships from the Arizona Leadership Foundation. Jacob is currently a Junior in high school and Alden is starting his Freshman year. Both boys have been at St. Michael since they were in Kindergarten and have done very well in this setting.

Alden’s favorite class is art as he says it allows him to express his creative side. He is interested in film making and would like to attend a college someday where he can study that further and turn it into a career. Last year he participated on the school’s basketball and track teams and hopes to continue that this year. He also likes playing games, sports and writing scripts for movies.

Jacob also says art is his favorite subject. He enjoys drawing, playing guitar and hiking. He taught himself how to play guitar and he now gets together with his friends to play music and sometimes even the teachers will join in. He says that the small class size at SMIS helps him to learn as he feels like he has more time to ask questions in the smaller group setting. He is looking ahead to college and would like to attend University of New Mexico or Arizona State University and study music and art in hopes of becoming a high school art or music teacher.

The scholarships from the Arizona Leadership Foundation have allowed both boys to stay at a school they enjoy due to its positive learning atmosphere. The family is thankful to the Foundation for their support so they don’t have to worry about paying for the full tuition and are able to watch both boys thrive in this environment.