Author: brandonpitzer14

5 things that can make it hard for Native American students to attend college

1. Culture shock, moving from one culture to a diverse or complete opposite culture.

2. Lack of educational support.

3. Lack of financial support.

4. Racial issues such as profiling.

5. Lack of emotional support and encouragement.

We started of our day with theatre. My highlight from theatre was the activity that we did with the animals because we didn’t have to communicate verbally to each other. The class after that was the Common App class. It was new to me because I have not gone over that application before, so I was excited to get a head start. The Western U programing was interesting because I researched a genetic disease for either side of my racial heritages. After that we listened to some guest speakers speak, and their stories were quite amazing. It made me reflect upon what I have personally seen in the streets, especially on the streets of Mexico City which is where half of my family is from.

1. I want to go to college in order to feel accomplished and be proud of myself.

2. I want to go to college because someday I want to have a family and I would like to be able to support them financially and sustainably.

3. College is important to me because I want to push my academic abilities beyond their abilities.

4. College is important to me because I am a minority descent and I want to prove that it does not make a difference in academic success.

5. College is important to me because neither of my parents completed it, so I want to do it for them.

Today was a fun but exhausting day. I learned some theatre warm ups that were fun. Besides that, the rest was all stuff that I had learned already in school. I learned more about genetics which was the most interesting for me. The rest of the day at scott’s house was a lot of fun.

My full name is Brandon Michael Drea (Flores in Mexico as well). I am half Mexican consisting of spaniard and some indigenous roots, and half white consisting of Irish, Scottish, Danish, and German heritage. My mother is from Mexico City, and my dad is from a small town in Iowa called Oto. I was born in Los Angeles, CA, and have lived my entire life here without much family around.

My hobbies mainly consist around playing my musical instruments and practicing Judo. I have been playing guitar for around 6 years, drums for about a year, and the keyboard on and off. I have been practicing Judo for the past year. By far, music is my greatest interest, but in terms of my academic interests, I am greatly interested in human biology and the medical field in general.

This is my second year participating in the Pitzer Pipeline. I came back this year because everything about last year was so great, I’d hate to miss out on all of it again. Even tho we may not be doing some of the same things, It’s still bound to be a great experience.

Today has been my first day in the program and it was a great start to the following two weeks. I got to know the rest of my fellow peers and they are all great people who are a lot of fun. I may have been extremely tired today but that didn’t stop me from having a great day. I look forward to tomorrow.

Today was an awesome day. We made our trip to Santa Cruz Island and it was amazing! After we had a science marine biology class and it was pretty interesting. For the rest of the day every one played games and we had a great time. I can’t wait for tomorrow.

Today I felt like I really socialized with everyone more than usual. I’ve been growing stronger bonds with everyone, student and mentors alike. In the morning we had Aztec math class, and I’m sad that it’ll end by the time we leave Pitzer. Its so interesting and everyone is really trying to get the hang of it. During academic writing we prepared more to write our essays. Then we went to WesternU where we were taught how to draw blood. It was really interesting and I can’t wait to practice it on a human being, may sound weird but I can’t wait to practice within the medical field. Near the end of the day we practiced some more Danza which is always good and engaging. I can’t wait for tomorrow when we go to Hollywood, I don’t know what to expect.

Today was another great day as expected. Aztec math is getting more complicated with every class, but just as much more fun too! Today during academic writing the class participated in an interesting conversation about grieving and reasoning. Many interesting things were said and I gave my opinion as well. Some parts felt heated, but it was all with the good intention of expanding our understanding of the universe. After, we had a Shakespeare class. The instructor was really an amazing enthusiastic and fun person. He kept everyone engaged and with open ears. That class was a great experience, I really enjoyed it. By this point of the day it felt as if we’ve spent all day in doors so it was a wonderful feeling to step out in to the sunshine. Then we danced a bit with Tata Vincent. It was fun and I think everyone felt good vibes from it. To end the day we had about an hour of free time. Everyone did their own thing. I ran with Pedro and some of my peers. It was fun and a good work out. Now its late but I’m devoted to completing my Aztec math homework. Can’t wait for tomorrow!

Today has been an extremely inspirational day for me. First, we had a really great Aztec math class. Its always good to improve your skills with the nepohuatzintzin. After we had a really good academic writing class, which I need in order to improve my descriptive writing. After was probably the highlight of the day. We went in to the cadaver lab. Before and after Elder Robert John talked to us and after we all participated in a great ceremony so that we don’t go back with anything that shouldn’t be taken back. I learned a lot in the labs and it has greatly inspired me to continue walking my path in to medicine. After that we went back to class and talked about the surfing movie, it was pretty interesting. It got me even more excited to go serving, especially since now I know more about the actual history.

Today was a great day, just a sample of what’s to come. The Aztec math was great. The nepo is just an example of the amazing ingenuity the original people had, and it blows my mind every time. Math is my favorite subject after all. The academic writing is something I really look forward to simply because I know it’s something I can improve on greatly. Visiting Western University is always something I look forward to, because I want to be a surgeon when I grow up. WesternU has really tailored to my interests and now I’m considering, seriously considering attending WesternU. I had some strong feelings towards the use of the mice in the labs, but I shared those feelings during reflection tonight. All I can say is that I respect all life, and it hurts me to know, death, literal death occurs to innocent beings due to us. Moving forward, the danza was great and I really appreciate Vincent putting time in to teaching all of us something so meaningful. I have some knowledge in danza, having participated in a few powwows and ceremonies with my school. Its always nice to learn more from others, such as Vincent. The movie was awesome. At first I really didn’t feel like sitting down and watching a movie, but I was instantly stuck to it. I felt some strong feelings during the movie, but listening to Robert John speak really helped my straighten out those feelings. I always get extremely focused when an elder speaks, because there is so much wisdom, it would be a shame to not listen.

First Day post. 🙂 Native Youth Pipeline FTW. Hi, my name is Brandon and I come from Academia Semillas Community Schools, Anahuacalmecac Preparatory High School, located in El Sereno, CA. This is my first year at the pipeline and I’ve already made some friends. I’m excited for the following two weeks ☺ I love talking to people and making new friends. I’m passionate about music🎸🎶🎼and I love Judo.

Jonathan, Kristan, James, and Me.