The Kira Norton Native American Health Programs Scholarship Endowment has been created in honor of Kira Yuja Norton, who was proud of her Native American and Korean heritage and sought to provide empathy, concern, support for health, and well-being of all populations. Kira had a passion for learning. She had a strong interest in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities to promote health, prevent disease, prolong life, and improve the quality of life through organized efforts. She lived and promoted a healthy lifestyle, provided leadership on health policy formation, and participated in bio-medical research. She worked to help the Native American community address disproportionate health ailments such as hypertension, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Kira wanted to improve the health and quality of life for everyone, and she set a personal example that included jogging throughout the county with a running club and participating in many classes at the gym. After graduation, she was also involved with helping students, and would return to McKinleyville High School to speak to the Native American Club about the advantages of higher education and her experiences in college.