OKLAHOMA CITY – United Keetoowah Band citizen Victoria S. Proctor has been selected as one of three 2015 Minority Scholars Program Scholarship recipients for $10,000, according to a release by the Oklahoma-based law firm Crowe & Dunlevy.
Proctor is a first-year student at the University of Oklahoma College of Law and plans to use the scholarship for tuition, books and living expenses.
“I’m really blessed to have received the scholarship,” Proctor said. “Going to law school is a big financial burden and this helps alleviate that.”
The program provides assistance for minority students in an effort to diversify the profession and is awarded based on academic achievement, need and commitment to the law, according to the organization. The award is dispersed in $2,000 per semester increments as long as the recipient remains in good academic standing.
To be considered for the award, Proctor underwent a competitive application and interview process with members of the firm.
“The Minority Scholars Program is a reflection of our long-standing commitment to supporting diversity in the legal profession and encouraging the development of the next generation of legal professionals,” Jimmy K. Goodman, director and Diversity Committee co-chairman, said. “We believe it’s important that the composition of the legal profession mirror the diversity of the communities they serve, and we believe every aspiring minority law student deserves the resources needed to achieve their dreams.”
Proctor was partly inspired to go to law school after working within the UKB as an administrative assistant for the Corporate Advisory Board and witnessed a lack of Native American attorneys working for her tribe. She credits UKB mentors Tim Brown and Bryan Shade for giving her advice about studying and applying for law school.
The OU College of Law was Proctor’s first choice, largely because of the Native American Law Program. As part of the program, students can access the Center for the Study of American Indian Law and Policy, which provides counsel to tribal, state and national policymakers and a forum for the interdisciplinary discussion and resolution of problems facing Native American communities.
Proctor spent her time this past summer working for two firms and is working for the Chickasaw Nation as part of the general counsel.
She has also been active in multiple organizations, including Organization for the Advancement of Women in Law, Kiwanis International and serving as vice-president for the Native American Law Student Association. She was crowned Miss Keetoowah from 2009-10 and graduated magna cum laude in mass communications from Northeastern State University.
Proctor will graduate with a juris doctor degree from OU in 2017 and encourages all Native Americans to pursue their education.
“In order to make a difference and to make a change, I think education is a key component of doing that,” she said. “If it’s something that’s important to you, then you need to do what it takes to succeed.”
– Published with permission, www.cherokeephoenix.org