2007 Frank Annunzio Chairman's Award Winner Announced

Any team that addressed energy conservation or an alternate energy source topic as the focus of their Christopher Columbus Awards project was considered for the existing Christopher Columbus Awards prizes as well as the special 2007 Frank Annunzio Chairman's Award. This year's winning entry:

2007 Young Scholar Award Recipient Announced

In recognition of the outstanding students who have participated in the Christopher Columbus Awards over the past ten years, the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation created the Young Scholar Award to recognize and honor their achievements since participating in the competition.

2007 Young Scholar Award Winner, Lucretia Birdinground.

The Foundation is pleased to announce that former finalist Lucretia Birdinground is the recipient of the 2006-2007 Young Scholar Award. Lucretia's compelling letter was selected by the Foundation's Board of Trustees as the most outstanding, as she explained how her experience as a former finalist in the Christopher Columbus Awards helped shape who she is today. Lucretia stated: "The competition provided me with the confidence I needed to pursue the challenges in life. I can honestly say that I'm in college right now all because of the competition and the impact it has left on me. I now have such a positive outlook on life; I want to succeed in everything I pursue."

Lucretia participated in the Christopher Columbus Awards as a member of the "Rez Protectors" finalist team in 2001. The team's project tackled the issue of housing shortage on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, by using straw bales to build functional, inexpensive and weather-resistant housing. The Rez Protectors won the $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant, and also received grants totaling $40,000 from Oprah Winfrey's Angel Network and the Westmoreland Coal Company to help build their straw bale community study hall. With the help of Red Feather Development Group and volunteers from all over the country, they completed the study hall in 2002.

Lucretia's accomplishments since that time include being a guest speaker at Vice President Al Gore's 11th Family Reunion Conference in Nashville, TN; participating in the Real World Conference in Thibodaux, LA, as keynote speaker; and being selected by school officials for a cultural exchange in Argentina due to her "outstanding leadership skills and work ethic." Lucretia is currently a sophomore at Montana State University where she is studying cultural anthropology and Native American Studies.

As the winner of the Young Scholar Award, Lucretia played a key role in the 2007 National Championship Week event in Orlando, FL, where she shared her experience, knowledge and insight with this year's finalists.