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TULSA, OK - Connie Page is a lawyer with a masters degree in behavioral science, but surfing the web has been her most profitable enterprise recently. When visiting the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma's (CNO) web site, www.cherokee.org, Page found that she was eligible for a full graduate scholarship from the Green Mathews Fund, administered through the CNO. The scholarship is available to students who are at least a quarter Cherokee and are pursuing a degree in environmental science.

"It's a niche scholarship, and I fit the niche," said Page, a mother of three and grandmother of two.

"We're so happy to find a qualified, deserving student for this scholarship," said Dusty Delso, Cherokee Nation's executive director of education. "It's been amazing," said Page, who is about to begin her third year pursuing a Ph. D in environmental science from the OSU-Tulsa. "This scholarship will help me so much. I'm working three jobs while I'm going to school. Now I maybe I can cut back to two," Page said with a laugh.

Page says one of her jobs is "a labor of love." She spends two days a week working on the Nuclear Risk Management for Native Communities project near Vian. "It's good to have your feet on the ground but also have credentials," said Page. "I'm a Cherokee, and I also have credentials outside the tribe. A Ph.D. will give me even more credibility in my work for Native Americans and the environment."