1) I think it would be a smart idea to hand the books out for free to my school. Since the majority of my school have indigenous heritage, it would benefit them greatly!
2) I can share the information by any means necessary. Rather it be by sharing a link of the digital copy and emailing it to every native youth that I know, or sharing and mass-producing a physical copy of the book to every student in my school, or by sharing both copies at community events.
1) The “common application” is a college admission application for undergraduate students. It is extremely useful because it is possible to make one application for several colleges, although some may require a specific essay for their institution only.
2) In order to use the common app a student must first create an account for it. The common app does a good job of walking you through the rest, and the layout is very simple to get around.
3) It is important to research colleges before you apply because it is extremely important to find the college that is right for YOU. Once a student narrows down the list of colleges with the search questionnaire that is provided, it is possible to read the details of each college.
4) It is important to write a strong college essay because the essays that are written are what describe and differentiate each student individually. It is the opportunity that every applicant has to show what’s special about them and why the college should select them over everyone else.
5) It is important to focus on yourself to write a college essay. Many of the prompts ask about a challenge that you may have overcame, or something similar. But rather than focusing on why the challenge may have been the most difficult challenge you have ever faced in your entire life, it is more important to write about what you learned from the experienced or what skills you learned.
6) In order to engae the reader in to your essay, make sure to write about the experiences that were extremely life changing, or an experience that was a once-in-a-life-time experience..
My favorite aspect of Indigenous Culture would have to be the way in which we sit in circles. It is a form of decolonized communication. It teaches all to be able to see everyone around you, instead of everyone looking at one person. Another aspect that I find important would have to be ceremony. Ceremonies teach us to be prepared and to have meaning in our lives. To do ceremony before you do something else is a way of being ready. A way of being mentally prepared for whatever comes next. Rather it be in a good way, or in an open minded way, it prepares you for what comes next. My third and favorite aspect of Indigenous Culture is that of singing songs, especially in a community setting. It teaches us to work together, to keep our rythm as one.
Indigenous Culture prepares me for college by allowing me to have a clear goal as to why I want to receive higher education. It gives me greater purpose as to why I should reach my goals in higher education.
Indigenous Culture allows me to have a good mentality towards my community. It has prepared me to have a purpose as to why I should take care of my community and give back to it.
1) I made two crafts during my time at Wishtoyo. First, I made an abalone necklace with string from dog-bane bark. Some may see the process as very time consuming but I found it very relaxing and fun in a subtle way. Secondly, I made a clapper-stick. That was much funner for me because I really enjoy wood crafting. I also really enjoy musical instruments, and to make my own cultural instrument was very appealing to me.
2) What resonated to me most of the teachings of the elders on Wishtoyo was the guidance that the elders gave us on creating the crafts that we worked on. This is important because usually most people think of wisdom and such things when it comes to elders, but for me what stood out was the knowledge on how to live and survive in a spiritual and cultural way.
3) My favorite cultural experience of the trip was our time around the fire at night when the elders and some students sang and danced and shared stories and wisdom. Those moments where special and there was a very special vibe to the entire experience.
1) For Native Youth it is important to tell their own stories because they are unique due to their history in this land. Most underprivileged people have important success stories, but for Native Youth it is far more important because they are NATIVE.
2) I think the story that I need to be able to tell was my experience growing up between my white and Mexican family, and how I learned to deal with both.
3) My favorite films are any films with Liam Neeson as the main character. Simply because he’s my favorite actor.
If I were to go to Pitzer college I would long board around and visit the village. Go see movies and such. I would take advantage of the distance and go to the beach often just to chillax.
1) My favorite part of native cooking with Kim Marcus was the activity in which we rock painted. Everyone was painting quietly with respect. It seemed especially sacred, as Kim Marcus said it was. I had fun painting my rock, adding the designs that I felt most connected to.
2) I had several jobs, but my favorite job was skinning the manzanita seeds. It was my favorite because you could also eat the skin from the seed and it was very tasty. It was beneficial to the nutritious diet because you could make a healthy tea from the skins. The seeds could also be used to make rattles!
1) & 2) Being away from home for so long has made me simply miss being in my most well known surroundings. Especially since before the program started I’ve only spent a few days at home because I’ve been gone otherwise. I also miss my parents, simply spending time with them and talking to them.
3) The greatest thing about being away from home is that I can spend time in other environments, with other people, and with other routines.
4) The highlight of today was our day at Mt. Balding. It was amazing being around people who knew so much of our natural surroundings, and the purpose they served for the indigenous people of that region. It was also very beautiful, and I enjoyed simply walking around and observing my surroundings and asking questions about anything that caught my interest.
1) This was my favorite artifact from the Pomona College Museum. It is a medicine mans jacket. It was my favorite because I want to become a doctor someday, so I have a special connecting with anything with some sort of connection to any form of “medicine”, rather it be something indigenous, western, or simply anything that heals someone physically, psychologically, or spiritually. But seeing all these “artifacts” made me sad. Because in reality these aren’t artifacts. They’re the belongings of people, people who are alive and thriving to keep their culture, and still all these pieces of clothing, baskets, satchels, and other items are sitting in the basement of a college where few individuals know they are there. Sadly, the people working there didn’t know much about the artifacts themselves. If we didn’t have our elders there, we probably wouldn’t have learned much of anything because they were the ones to tell us the stories.
2) Native culture and college education can go alongside each other just fine. This can be done just fine as long as the cultural protocol is prioritized significantly. This is because I believe that much of the education in this country is very western, which can have many conflicts with the way that native culture is taught. The education system of many colleges must first be decolonized before it is ready for full blown education along side native culture.
3) Anyways, about today. Today was the first day that I awoke and felt that I actually got a good nights rest. Theatre today was mostly about vocalization, the practice of which helps with self-confidence significantly. The highlight of the day was of course the museum. That brought up so much to talk about, which I mentioned already. Besides that the lasagna today was great, and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.
1. Some resources that can help me get to college include my college councilor, several scholarships, other forms of financial aid, and any tips from family and friends who have experience with colleges.
2. My college councilor is helping me substantially in order to get to college. My teachers also help wherever they can and in whatever way. My tutors have contributed a large amount of their time in order educate me in resources for college.
3. In order to prepare myself for college I want to make sure that I have enough financial aid and scholarships to support me financially, as well as always keeping my grades up and keeping myself ahead of the game.
4. I try my best to encourage my peers to get to college simply by talking to them and doing my best to convince them that college is the best route to go on in order to have a good future and to be able to support their family and reach their goals.
5. Today has been a very long day, but it has been one of the most interesting for me. Theatre in the morning has been getting more and more interesting and fun. We’re doing more activities that have really made me appreciate theatre a lot more. Reading was fun as always, simply because I really enjoy the book and talking about it with my peers always brings up interesting ideas to talk about, many of which I did not think about myself. The trip to pomona was my highlight of the day. Experiencing the daily life of college students in lab environments was really fun. The rest of the day was filled with a great amount of historical knowledge and cultural empowerment by way of social activism within the Indigenous communities.
nativeyouth2college.org 