Chief John Ross Scholarship Honors Legacy of Mary Golda Ross and Invests in Native STEM Students

By Cara Cowan Watts, Cherokee 411

The Chief John Ross Scholarship continues a legacy of Cherokee leadership, education, and scientific achievement rooted in the life and work of Mary Golda Ross, the great-great-granddaughter of Chief John Ross.

Ross was a trailblazing mathematician, teacher, engineer, and space pioneer whose career helped open doors for Native women in science and engineering. Over her lifetime, she earned national recognition, including designation as a Women in Aviation Pioneer, induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, and honors as a distinguished alumna of Northeastern State University.

Ross believed deeply in the power of mathematics as a foundation for opportunity. “To function efficiently in today’s world, you need math,” she once said. “The world is so technical; if you plan to work in it, a math background will let you go farther and faster.”

That philosophy guided her philanthropy. In 2009, the John Ross Scholarship was established and endowed by Ross through the Mary G. Ross Family Trust, with Evelyn Ross McMillan serving as trustee. The first scholarships were awarded in 2013.

The scholarships are need-based, with preference given to Native American students, women, and Oklahoma residents pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Recipients have gone on to careers in medicine, optometry, veterinary science, physician assistant studies, speech pathology, occupational therapy, and mathematics.

As part of the scholarship process, each recipient writes a letter to the Ross family, describing their goals and explaining how the award helps offset the cost of their education while supporting their path into STEM fields.

The awards are administered by the NSU Foundation, which distributed $21,195 from the John Ross endowment last year alone. That funding was part of a broader $1.38 million in scholarships awarded by the Foundation.

From 2013 through 2023, the John Ross Scholarship provided 78 individual awards totaling $109,873, all funded through interest generated by the endowment. According to scholarship data, the majority of recipients have been citizens of the Cherokee Nation.

The John Ross Endowed Scholarship was formally established in 2008 through the estate of Mary Golda Ross, a 1928 NSU graduate and widely recognized as the first Native American female engineer. Its mission remains focused on supporting Native students pursuing degrees in math and science while honoring a family legacy that spans Cherokee governance, education, and innovation.

Students interested in applying for the John Ross Scholarship can do so through the NSU Foundation at Northeastern State University.