Author: jadeayala

It’s the finalllll countdown!!!!!!!. I am very proud of myself for still coming to NY2C right after PAYS, like if ya’ll knew what takes place during PAYS you would understand the challenge and amount of it. Big thanks to my parents and close friends for pushing me and not giving me the option to give up, as well as to my good friend for going through this experience with me even during PAYS and NY2C (we got big thangzzz coming up for us dude). This is my last summer of programming I definitely went all out and really over booked myself but it was worth it, hopefully with these experiences they help me during the  college application process as well as entering University itself. It’s the last summer here for me sadly but I encourage those rising Juniors to take leadership and encourage your community to participate in this program as will I. To all those new students that came this summer I hope that you gained an amazing experience and that you also feel encouraged to come back the following summer if not don’t be lame and challenge yourself. Thank you to all staff’s, professors, mentors, and students for being apart of this journey for three summers with me and making big impacts on myself culturally and educationally. Wish me luck and I hope to see ya’ll soooooooooonnnnnn and if not hopefully in the after life I guess!.

Coming into the last week it’s been a tough transition in terms of resting and engaging myself. Being a part of this program for the past three years has brought me to the conclusion of appreciating my family heritage and traditions, from these three years it has been very repetitive and continuing to reassure myself. During this summer I have been academically challenged in a college classroom setting so coming into this program it has introduced me relief, calmness, and excitement. Since I missed most of the activities one thing that I have enjoyed is Mayan math, shout out to Santos for having an amazing energy it low key reminds me of my father’s energy. He’s taught me the traditional ceremonies that takes place and the roles that take part in conducting the ceremony, as well as going briefly about the Mayan calendar and how to calculate it. Thank you to everyone that has made this program positive!!.

what about me?. I am a youth that is deeply attached to the energy of warmth and bright ya dig. My image provides you with the observation of my everyday energy, such as the pieces of jade and the hummingbird as well as the background color that I personally selected. As you can see there is my beautiful thiyck self holding an Aztec flower while feeding the hummingbird, my way of moving during ceremony represents this energy. The stone of Jade is very sacred to my people and has a personal impact on myself as I wear it, the feeling has a balance of dark and bright for me personally. The color is titled as a bright red orange! this color explains my attitude in a way that it shows that I am Strong, B****, loud, crazy, warm,. I try to incorporate this color in my traditional wear as well as in my fashionista attire. Now that you have the understanding I encourage you to eat huevos con chorizo O Whateva!.

What’s up ya’ll today was my first day at the program due to attending another program at Pomona called PAYS(shout out to the loks). Lately I have been trying to let everything settle in and hopefully show my best potential here, as well as to connect with all the students and mentors the are participating this summer. I deeply would like to thank Scott and Violet and others for still letting me participate and accepting my application even though I was missing the whole first part of the programming love ya’ll!.

    Mmmmmmm so many thank you’s to say and recognitions. I first want to start with my second year experience here at the program, I had so much fun being away from home I definitely felt very independent while being here. Whoever accepted these students you made such a good choice the students here are so damn cool and free spirited they will always be running through my thoughts like little perritos.  Next I want to thank the beautiful luscious mentors for always laughing at my fuchi yokes and for being so damn awesome and so relaxed especially with me and that also includes Ana, Jenna. Elizabeth. other Elizabeth. Then I want to thank my dude Scott for always checking in with me and having such great trust and hope in me, I also want to thank you for helping to organize such a beautiful program for native yoth and creating that safe space for us to share and be open about our identities and pushing us to be proud of who we are.

  Now for the awesome teachers who came out to take part in this program!. Vicente you  are so amazing and so well educated about everything really I definitely look up to you as my maestro and always will. There were so many good lectures here at the program and the professors and visitors really made sure to make that connection with each and everyone of us and I really appreciate that.

What another groovy fantastic day here at Ptzer College. I started off my morning in a really good way, I woke up at seven thirty in the morning to do Danza with Vicente and other students and mentors. When I was dancing it gave me such a rush and I started to remember the moments I’ve had at ceremonies and practices and it just gave me such a good vibe. The sun was definitely covering my whole body and sending me good energy to keep moving my patas and continue to move my body. Then towards the ending of the day we had a session with Katherine Watkins which was a lot of fun and my favorite part was when she played some really good tunes and we had to write what we were feeling when listening to the song. She played two songs that made me so happy cause it brought good moments that I’ve had with my family, it kind of made me sad because I wish I still had those moments with my family. But overall I’m ready to end the program on a good positive note and see my family and get back into the groove with them and be  in my element again.

Today I felt very groovy, humble, excited, shaky, nervous for some damn reason. I had some very fun interactive conversations with a very well educated professor she gave me the welcoming to such an open space, the activity that she asked us to do was very different she made a few points that caught my attention. What she had to say was just very mind blowing to me personally and also her friend she said some very strong wisdom words that I for sure walked away with and that I will keep in mind and bring it up in any situation that I come across in. But overall today was very nice Jumba Lamba Womba day and I for sure enjoyed thanks to my positive attitude and the friends that make the day extra special but yeah see ya later my natives.

Being apart of this program has made me feel really inspired and has pushed me to be more open with others about my culture and have a positive attitude. Now  that I have this ball full of energy, power and motivation I want to go deeper and really educate myself more about my culture and not just focus on Danza Azteca. Like for an example I want to practice more on the nepohuantzinzin and learn more of my traditional songs as well as learning how to speak in my native tongue. Hopefully later on I will complete these goals in my future, eventually when I have I children I will past down my knowledge to them and expect for them to continue the traditions and culture to the future generations. In the program the person that has made think about this is Vicente, Vicente is a very passionate human being that has made me really reflect upon myself and since we share the same identity it makes me even ,more engaged and feel even more humble knowing that I have another peer in my community who’s educated about our culture and who’s taking the time to share his experiences and knowledge with me.