My full name is Onendanegea Joseph Rhoades, I am an American Indian and according to statistics I should’ve dropped out of high school by now much less be accepted to a public ivy league college. I am Nez Perce, Umatilla, Seneca, Cherokee, and Delaware Indian. I want to honor my family, community, and all those who support my greatest endeavor: college. I have excelled at robotics and love to play the saxophone; however, my real love is computers. I was featured in the AISES (American Indian Science and Engineering Society) magazine Winds of Change because of my winning record with robots and my love of computers. (Winds Of Change, Fall 2016, pg. 18-19) http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pohlyco/woc_2016fall/#/20
I have been accepted to Penn State but I realize that I cannot afford to attend main campus ($46,000) for sure and hope to be able to afford to attend Harrisburg campus for the 2+2 program which means 2 years at Harrisburg campus and 2 years at University Park ($35,904 Harrisburg). I am eligible for full Pell Grant ($6,000). I plan to receive approximately $6,000 in grant money from the Nez Perce Tribe and Bureau of Indian Education. So that will be approximately $12,000 of the $35,904 to attend the 2+2 program. That leaves me trying to put together $23,904. I have saved about $1,000 so far from work last summer, I think I found a place where I can stay in an attic in Wormleysburg (subtract $5,000 for housing), I am guessing that I can raise at least $8,000 in scholarship money, so that leaves me with a goal of raising $10,000.00 on Go-Fund Me.
If I may have a bit of your time I’d like you to know a few things about why my mother cannot help me though she has done everything she could. She and my dad divorced when I was 6 years old. My mother was a stay at home mom then and did a lot of volunteer work. She quickly realized that my dad wasn’t going to help her with us and he has not paid child support, ever….at all. We lived in Tennessee until she quickly realized she couldn’t afford the house payment. So, mom sold off a lot of our belongings and put the money into fixing up the house and sold it. She scraped up enough money to buy a dilapidated house in Oklahoma. It was in horrible condition and we lived in our van until she made the house livable (which thankfully didn’t take too long). She had to borrow $30,000 for materials to fix the house. Mom proceeded to tear out walls, repair serious termite damage until our home was almost finished 3 years after purchase. Then the tribe sent someone to finish up the work and they tore the roof off of the house. It rained that night, the night of my 10th birthday, rained over 8 inches into the whole house and everything was destroyed. The tribe wouldn’t help us, though it was their workers’ fault. So my mother, determined to provide a safe house for my little sister and I, began tearing down entire sections of house and used all her money and the little insurance money she got to rebuild a portion of the house for us. The house still isn’t finished 8 years later but she sure does try with every penny she can muster to make it safe. Despite all of this she has done her best to see that my sister and I get to school. She drove us there every day (until December 2016) because it is a Bureau of Indian Education school (Sequoyah High School).
I am like my mother, I am determined to get my computer engineering degree no matter the hurdles. Penn State is an outstanding college and their American Indian enrollment is .02%. I’m just the guy to lead other bright, young, talented American Indian students to Penn State. It is a beautiful campus and Pennsylvania is a beautiful state. My family has a deep history there and I would like to be able to return to the place where my mother was born and that we all love so much. If you help me get to where I am going, I hope someday I can repay that by helping you directly, your community, or by paying it forward and helping another student with dreams within his or her finger tips.
In my picture, I’m reaching for Sequoyah’s feather, for wisdom. Sequoyah invented the Cherokee alphabet (syllabary) and someday, who knows, maybe I will invent a new programing language. That statue means so much to me, the painting it is based on was painted in the first incarnation of our house by a family friend. We still have the original eagle feather, which is the feather depicted in the painting. I feel like I am a part of that statute and it is a part of me. Together, with a foot in history and a foot in today’s modern world we can achieve greatness. Sometimes it just takes a little help from others. My mother helped me get to work, school, feed me and she is trying to figure out how to help me now. My little sister is sick and has been going to St. Francis/Jude oncology since November 2015. Mom tells me that she will take care of my sister and try to figure out how to get me to college. I see it wearing on her. I want to help myself but as a senior I’m doing what I can filling out scholarship applications. I recently started driving a 2002 Buick and try to help my mother by driving my sister to school so mom can get to work on time. We are trying with everything we have but our “everything” is not enough.
If you would be so kind and consider assisting me, please donate or just share this page.
My son, Onen, presented this to me for review, it brought tears to my eyes. I thanked him and asked him if I could add a few words about him. It is not part of American Indian tradition to “self-promote” and he has left out so much about himself. He is an incredibly talented, hardworking, gifted, and kind person. He has struggled with a visual processing disorder since 5th grade. The processing disorder has meant that he has had to work twice as hard as his peers to accomplish some academic tasks, yet he has kept his GPA around 3.5 or higher. Onen is currently the president of Yu-Gi-Oh club at his school. The club focuses on teaching card, board, and computer games to its members. Onen likes teaching the kids how to play the card games because he likes to share his knowledge of numbers and strategy. He played saxophone in the school band and the local college community music program until 2017. This year, he knew I had to cover some college application expenses and testing expenses and he asked to sit out for the year.
Onen didn’t mention all his awards. During academic years 2014-2016 Onen and his team won 18 robotics awards including: VEX State winner 2014 for Skills (2398), Excellence Award 2015 (2398), in 2016 his team 2398D were the Tournament Champions at the Oklahoma State VEX Competition and they went on to Worlds in Louisville, Kentucky in 2016. This year 2398D won Tournament Champions at CEMAS VRC High-School StarStruck Robotathon. Also, this year his team built a big robot for FRC and this last weekend he and his team made it into the US Regional quarter finals. Onen has also won 13 science fair awards including 6 first places, 2 special awards and Grand National Winner. Most of Onen’s science fair projects have centered on producing clean water for communities at an affordable price. He has focused on using slow sand filtration as a method to clean water. It is the money from the science fair awards that he saved and used to purchase the Buick. Onen has always had a love of STEM.
He also didn’t mention his service to our communities. During high school he has done a lot of volunteer work including: volunteer for the local community water district, general volunteer Tulsa Indian Club pow wow, sing with a local drum group, sing with the Schools Hope Club drum at events, and serves as the youth representative on our church’s board. I have only given you a snapshot of my son. He gives of himself in his own quiet way. He likes to do for others and does not expect accolades, just the satisfaction of knowing he helped seems to satisfy him. Now, it is my honor to present him to the world knowing he will give back as I have taught him.
In sum, if I was reading through a bunch of Go-Fund me pages trying to pick a young man to assist, I would choose Onen because he is everything that Go-Fund Me is designed to help. He is an American Indian who is trying to rise above all the stereo-types and make a path for others into STEM. He has never used drugs or alcohol. He is the type of person who if he receives help, he will give back to individuals and the community. So, it would be good to know that a donation to his college fund will be a donation that keeps on giving for a lifetime. That would be money well given. But, I’m his mother, so your support will let him know it’s not just me who believes in him. On behalf of Onen, we thank you for your support or just sharing his page.
I have been accepted to Penn State but I realize that I cannot afford to attend main campus ($46,000) for sure and hope to be able to afford to attend Harrisburg campus for the 2+2 program which means 2 years at Harrisburg campus and 2 years at University Park ($35,904 Harrisburg). I am eligible for full Pell Grant ($6,000). I plan to receive approximately $6,000 in grant money from the Nez Perce Tribe and Bureau of Indian Education. So that will be approximately $12,000 of the $35,904 to attend the 2+2 program. That leaves me trying to put together $23,904. I have saved about $1,000 so far from work last summer, I think I found a place where I can stay in an attic in Wormleysburg (subtract $5,000 for housing), I am guessing that I can raise at least $8,000 in scholarship money, so that leaves me with a goal of raising $10,000.00 on Go-Fund Me.
If I may have a bit of your time I’d like you to know a few things about why my mother cannot help me though she has done everything she could. She and my dad divorced when I was 6 years old. My mother was a stay at home mom then and did a lot of volunteer work. She quickly realized that my dad wasn’t going to help her with us and he has not paid child support, ever….at all. We lived in Tennessee until she quickly realized she couldn’t afford the house payment. So, mom sold off a lot of our belongings and put the money into fixing up the house and sold it. She scraped up enough money to buy a dilapidated house in Oklahoma. It was in horrible condition and we lived in our van until she made the house livable (which thankfully didn’t take too long). She had to borrow $30,000 for materials to fix the house. Mom proceeded to tear out walls, repair serious termite damage until our home was almost finished 3 years after purchase. Then the tribe sent someone to finish up the work and they tore the roof off of the house. It rained that night, the night of my 10th birthday, rained over 8 inches into the whole house and everything was destroyed. The tribe wouldn’t help us, though it was their workers’ fault. So my mother, determined to provide a safe house for my little sister and I, began tearing down entire sections of house and used all her money and the little insurance money she got to rebuild a portion of the house for us. The house still isn’t finished 8 years later but she sure does try with every penny she can muster to make it safe. Despite all of this she has done her best to see that my sister and I get to school. She drove us there every day (until December 2016) because it is a Bureau of Indian Education school (Sequoyah High School).
I am like my mother, I am determined to get my computer engineering degree no matter the hurdles. Penn State is an outstanding college and their American Indian enrollment is .02%. I’m just the guy to lead other bright, young, talented American Indian students to Penn State. It is a beautiful campus and Pennsylvania is a beautiful state. My family has a deep history there and I would like to be able to return to the place where my mother was born and that we all love so much. If you help me get to where I am going, I hope someday I can repay that by helping you directly, your community, or by paying it forward and helping another student with dreams within his or her finger tips.
In my picture, I’m reaching for Sequoyah’s feather, for wisdom. Sequoyah invented the Cherokee alphabet (syllabary) and someday, who knows, maybe I will invent a new programing language. That statue means so much to me, the painting it is based on was painted in the first incarnation of our house by a family friend. We still have the original eagle feather, which is the feather depicted in the painting. I feel like I am a part of that statute and it is a part of me. Together, with a foot in history and a foot in today’s modern world we can achieve greatness. Sometimes it just takes a little help from others. My mother helped me get to work, school, feed me and she is trying to figure out how to help me now. My little sister is sick and has been going to St. Francis/Jude oncology since November 2015. Mom tells me that she will take care of my sister and try to figure out how to get me to college. I see it wearing on her. I want to help myself but as a senior I’m doing what I can filling out scholarship applications. I recently started driving a 2002 Buick and try to help my mother by driving my sister to school so mom can get to work on time. We are trying with everything we have but our “everything” is not enough.
If you would be so kind and consider assisting me, please donate or just share this page.
My son, Onen, presented this to me for review, it brought tears to my eyes. I thanked him and asked him if I could add a few words about him. It is not part of American Indian tradition to “self-promote” and he has left out so much about himself. He is an incredibly talented, hardworking, gifted, and kind person. He has struggled with a visual processing disorder since 5th grade. The processing disorder has meant that he has had to work twice as hard as his peers to accomplish some academic tasks, yet he has kept his GPA around 3.5 or higher. Onen is currently the president of Yu-Gi-Oh club at his school. The club focuses on teaching card, board, and computer games to its members. Onen likes teaching the kids how to play the card games because he likes to share his knowledge of numbers and strategy. He played saxophone in the school band and the local college community music program until 2017. This year, he knew I had to cover some college application expenses and testing expenses and he asked to sit out for the year.
Onen didn’t mention all his awards. During academic years 2014-2016 Onen and his team won 18 robotics awards including: VEX State winner 2014 for Skills (2398), Excellence Award 2015 (2398), in 2016 his team 2398D were the Tournament Champions at the Oklahoma State VEX Competition and they went on to Worlds in Louisville, Kentucky in 2016. This year 2398D won Tournament Champions at CEMAS VRC High-School StarStruck Robotathon. Also, this year his team built a big robot for FRC and this last weekend he and his team made it into the US Regional quarter finals. Onen has also won 13 science fair awards including 6 first places, 2 special awards and Grand National Winner. Most of Onen’s science fair projects have centered on producing clean water for communities at an affordable price. He has focused on using slow sand filtration as a method to clean water. It is the money from the science fair awards that he saved and used to purchase the Buick. Onen has always had a love of STEM.
He also didn’t mention his service to our communities. During high school he has done a lot of volunteer work including: volunteer for the local community water district, general volunteer Tulsa Indian Club pow wow, sing with a local drum group, sing with the Schools Hope Club drum at events, and serves as the youth representative on our church’s board. I have only given you a snapshot of my son. He gives of himself in his own quiet way. He likes to do for others and does not expect accolades, just the satisfaction of knowing he helped seems to satisfy him. Now, it is my honor to present him to the world knowing he will give back as I have taught him.
In sum, if I was reading through a bunch of Go-Fund me pages trying to pick a young man to assist, I would choose Onen because he is everything that Go-Fund Me is designed to help. He is an American Indian who is trying to rise above all the stereo-types and make a path for others into STEM. He has never used drugs or alcohol. He is the type of person who if he receives help, he will give back to individuals and the community. So, it would be good to know that a donation to his college fund will be a donation that keeps on giving for a lifetime. That would be money well given. But, I’m his mother, so your support will let him know it’s not just me who believes in him. On behalf of Onen, we thank you for your support or just sharing his page.
Organizer
Onen Rhoades
Organizer
Park Hill, OK