For the third year in a row, the Rosebud Economic Development Corporation’s business operations are turning a profit. Now REDCO is using some of those profits to provide grants for four college students.
Wizipan Little Elk is the C-E-O of REDCO. He says the $2,500 “micro-grants” are a way to invest in the community’s future workforce. The grants are available to enrolled Rosebud tribal members attending college or technical schools for the first time this fall.
As the economic arm of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Little Elk says REDCO is always seeking talent at various levels. He says a degree in construction management is just as important to their efforts as a degree in business.
“It’s really important that we have a well-qualified workforce," he says. "So, we’re creating jobs, now we need people to begin filling them.”
Little Elk says the corporation is looking for people with a strong desire to give back to their community once they’ve completed their education:
“People whose career and life goals include at some point coming back to the reservation and coming back to this area and making a contribution and making this part of the world a better place.”
Little Elk says one of the four grants is reserved for a student attending Sinte Gleska University, but the rest are open to students of any school. He adds that these grants are the first step in a continued investment in education.
Applications are available online until September 30th, with recipients named by the end of October.
