PEMBROKE — Kennedy Jones, a Pembroke native who is a freshman at UNC Chapel Hill, is the first Lumbee student to receive the financial benefits of the Tribe’s recent federal recognition.
Jones initially applied for and was accepted into the Cobell Scholarship in mid-2025, a scholarship for students from federally recognized tribes pursuing a full-time education. However, a crucial detail had slipped through the cracks — the Lumbee Tribe hadn’t yet received its recognition.
“In August, a week after I moved into UNC-Chapel Hill,” Jones said, “I got another email saying that the money would be rescinded because I wasn’t federally recognized. I emailed them back, asking to speak with a representative, but I never received another email again.”…