The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska has selected Allaryce Agloinga, Sal Chapell, and Carina Lurancy as recipients of its 2023 Joan Hamilton Memorial Scholarship.
This annual scholarship, established by the ACLU of Alaska in the memory of former board member Joan Hamilton, promotes and supports the education of Alaskan students who wish to pursue a career related to the law, advocate for Alaska Native rights, and defend the constitutional rights and civil liberties of the peoples of rural Alaska.
“With an increase of defined local tribal sovereignty, our communities would have a greater voice and independence to address and find solutions to our challenges. In order to strengthen our voice, we need an increased representation in the legal, education and healthcare fields. My goal and commitment is to strengthen our voice in the legal field and to help protect our tribal sovereignty, by advancing my education and earning a Juris Doctorate. After graduation the next steps would be to return to rural Alaska, work with tribes to re-establish and expand tribal courts, and work to strengthen individual policies related to sovereignty. My heritage, beliefs, passion, education, and professional experience has bolstered my desire to pursue a legal career to give back and provide a contribution that will not only strengthen tribal communities but also help future generations.”
“As a queer individual studying politics and law and living in a rural Alaskan town I look up to Joan Hamilton’s work as inspiration. Hamilton has a legacy of fighting for the rights of Alaska Natives and rural Alaskan’s through her work as a medical provider and board member[...]My knowledge will not be helpful if I don’t turn it into action, my degree will help me learn how to navigate government and legal environments and advocate for the rights of underrepresented rural Alaskan’s.”
“I admire the work that Joan Hamilton did throughout her life to improve the physical and cultural health of Alaska Native people, as well as the advocacy work she devoted so much of her life to. Her perseverance through legal discrimination to earn a degree, achieve certification as a nurse, and thrive in a world that openly and legally discriminated against her as a Native woman gives me hope that I can also survive the challenges in the nation that work against me as a transgender woman today. I am honored to be on a journey to continue the work she gave so much of herself to.”
A Cup'ik Eskimo, Joan Hamilton was well known in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and throughout Alaska. Born Joan Bill in Qissunaq, near Chevak, on July 31,1942, her Cup'ik name was "Pirciralria." Joan said she "grew up in a hospital" as a result of childhood tuberculosis. She learned English from medical staff, who enjoyed her spunk and inquisitiveness. Joan attended boarding school at St. Mary's Mission and Copper Valley School and earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She was equally comfortable speaking with Elders about traditional culture or negotiating with academic and government bureaucracies. At a time when it was legal to discriminate against Alaska Natives, especially women, Joan became a licensed practical nurse, working at hospitals in Alaska and the Lower 48, as supervisor of the Northwest Free Clinic in Salt Lake City, program director of the Alcohol/Drug Abuse Prevention office of Rural CAP in Anchorage, administrator of the Tundra Women Coalition, chairman of the board for KYUK public broadcasting in Bethel, and the museum curator of the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center in Bethel.
The ACLU of Alaska thanks Allaryce, Sal and Carina for their commitment to pursuing a career related to the law in which they will advocate for Alaska Native rights and defend the civil liberties of the peoples of rural Alaska.
Scholarship amount and eligibility
- Up to $2,500 per academic year – renewal awards available by reapplying
- Student in a post-high school educational or vocational program in any of the following academic years: 2019-2020, 2020-2021, or 2022-2023
- Studied or currently studying for a career related to the law (e.g, lawyer, paralegal, VSO, guardian ad litem)
- Alaska resident committed to improving the lives of rural or Alaska Native communities