Northern Michigan University senior Larry Croschere has received a scholarship from Indian Health Service. Croschere is a pre-dental major and Native American studies minor at NMU and is a tribal citizen of Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

The renewable scholarship of $27,835 is awarded to students who are enrolled members of a Native American tribe. Applicants must meet the academic and program requirements and have an intention to serve Native American people as a health professional in their chosen field when finished with school.

“I felt very fortunate when I was notified that I was a recipient of [the] 2015-2016 pre-graduate scholarship awarded through the Indian Health Service," said Croschere. "It is a great feeling knowing that the IHS decided to invest in my future academic and career goals of becoming a dentist.”

Croschere also recently the Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) conference near Seattle, Wash. 

“The pre-admission workshop and the conference were both very beneficial to me," he said. "The workshop helped me with the processes associated with applying to professional schools, such as the application, mock interviews and composing a strong personal statement.”

Throughout the conference, Croschere was able to meet with many peers, as well as professionals who serve as mentors for Native students pursuing health-related degrees.