Sequoyah Fellowship Program

The AISES Lifetime Membership program was named in memory of Sequoyah, a member of the Cherokee Nation who perfected the Cherokee alphabet and syllabary in 1821, resulting in the Cherokee Nation becoming literate in less than one year. In this spirit, AISES Sequoyah Fellows are recognized for their commitment to AISES’ mission in STEM and to the American Indian community as a whole. They bring honor to AISES by committing to supporting AISES by engaging in lifelong leadership, mentorship, and other acts of service, including making an annual financial contribution, to support the students and professionals in the AISES family.

“What we created was the Sequoyah Fellows, and that included everybody. We were an organization of inclusion and belonging. It didn’t matter what color you were, when you came in, you were part of our family. And Indian students were part of that. We just didn’t isolate them. They became a larger thing of that.  . . . We led with the spirit. We didn’t lead with the content.” Norbert Hill, Jr.