Johanna – Inspiration All Around

This program is quickly coming to an end, with a couple days left to spend with these inspiring and unique individuals. I can proudly say that each and everyone one of them including the mentors, staff, and coordinators of this program will make a change in our discriminating world. There are so many individuals that have inspired me to do better for myself, my community, my school, my family, and my world. I do not think I can not choose just one person to write how they inspired me, which is why I will be writing about many individuals who have touched me in different ways. 

I would like to begin with the coordinator of the Native Youth to College Program at Pitzer College, Scott Scoggins. This man has put so much work into this program, to only for us to get to know different people and have fun, but for the youth to share their culture, learn new culture, and connect with other indigenous people. To mentors who have inspired me to do better in my community are Neeka and Belmont. I have had the opportunity to speak to each individual separately and have very deep conversations about our beliefs, how we think we should make this world a better place, and how most of us have lost our culture. The most important people that have impacted me were the youth from this amazing program. Sylena, the way she came in not knowing much from her nation or culture, but will be leaving with so much knowledge from different people, which inspired me to share my culture with the entire world. Katherine, a young lady who knows so much about her own culture and others, but still came with an open mind to learn more culture and traditions from others and see their perspectives on their values about their indigenous nation. This last person is one of my closest friends, Ansel, he has always been a well spoken leader to my school and community. The way he puts himself above everyone and is always prepared to learn about the history of our ancestors to prepare himself to make a true change in this world for our indigenous people. 

Once I leave this program, I will take every single person with me, everything they have shared with me and their inspiring words. Even tough we all might be young and not know much about our corporate world, we are determined to make a difference for our people to continue learning their culture, language, and traditions with the purpose of not letting our indigenous roots die. So, thank you youth for coming to this program and sharing your culture and traditions with me, I really hope you all keep continuing what you are doing because eventually there will be a change in our world. 

always happy, Johanna Osuna