Our Crowdfunding Groups
Founded in 1985, UCLA Pow Wow is the second largest student-organized event on campus. A pow wow is a gathering of people from across different tribal backgrounds to express themselves in traditional and contemporary dance, songs and social activities.
UCLA Pow Wow is an especially important social celebration that invites the campus community to join the larger American Indian community of Los Angeles and beyond.
This event is crucial to American Indian Student Association's (AISA) mission to inform UCLA students about the Native community on campus and to correct negative stereotypes about American Indian people in society.
A part of the Pow Wow is a pageant that crowns Ms. UCLA Pow Wow. After being crowned, Ms UCLA Pow Wow must travel to a minimum of 6 pow wows across the state to represent UCLA in order to:
- Encourage young American Indians to pursue higher education.
- Promote awareness of the American Indian community at UCLA and beyond.
- Promote continuing education for American Indian women.
She's our "ambassador" that authentically walks her cultural heritage and pursuit of higher education as parallel journeys, in hopes to inspire other American Indians to do the same--all the while representing UCLA!
As of today, Ms. UCLA Pow Wow is awarded a $1,000 prize to further her future pursuits in higher education. Problem?
To this date, every single Ms. UCLA Pow Wow ends up exhausting her award money to fund her year-long travels to various pow wows to promote her message. This leaves her with no funds left to invest in her own education.
In fact, this community commitment may incur personal debt for this amazing role model.
Each trip to an individual pow wow cost about $500, considering travel, meals, lodging, community engagement events, and regalia upkeep.
Given the prestige of being crowned as a "UCLA" pageant winner, Ms. UCLA Pow Wow is widely and often invited, and is scheduled to attend 12-20 pow wows in one reigning year.
The funding would help support not her current pow wow itinerary, but also encourage her travel to more pow wows to represent UCLA. It will also allow Ms. UCLA Pow Wow to use her award for it's intended purpose: to support her own educational pursuits (i.e. GRE test fee, applications to graduate school, travel to interviews, etc.).
Every $500 dollars will solidify Ms. UCLA Pow Wow's ability to reach out to one more community.
We are hoping through this campaign to raise $5,000 to make the reign of Ms. UCLA Pow Wow:
- Financially more sustainable and viable
- Her reach broader and wider to more communities
- Her pursuits of higher education a reality.
We ask that you consider supporting our community by contributing to this crowdfunding campaign. Your gifts of any amount will truly make a lasting impact and increase our ability to support these amazing Ms. UCLA Pow Wow Pageant winners!
Please share this message on your Facebook and Twitter and help us spread the word on our project to others you know! Use our tag #MsUCLAPowWow!
Thank you for joining our team! Ms. UCLA Pow Wow will give you a Twitter shout out!
Thank you for your gift! $15 will provide a meal to sustain her day of inspiring her community! She will give you an Instagram thank you!
You encourage our Ms. UCLA Pow Wow winner! To thank you, we will send you a Facebook photo for your wall!
You've energized us! Ms. UCLA Pow Wow will send you a video thank you on Facebook. This is going to give her the gas money to get to a pow wow!
You are our strength!! To thank you, Ms. UCLA Pow Wow will send you a signed portrait!
Ms. UCLA Pow Wow greatly appreciates this gift - as it will pay for her lodging during her travels. To express our thanks, you will receive a limited edition "Proud American Indian Bruin Pin"!
What an amazing gift! This will allow Ms. UCLA Pow Wow to attend another community event! You will be invited to a community dinner with the Pageant Committee and Ms. UCLA Pow Wow!
Amazing! You fully fund her pageant travels throughout the U.S.! She can now use her Pageant award for continuing her education. To thank you, Ms. Pow Wow will take you on a cultural tour of the American Indian Studies Center, lunch and a signed photo!