Author: MacKaylapitzer

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

1. Some natives just won’t have enough money to attend college

2. they have kids and sometimes won’t have enough time to do it

3. your family didn’t encourage you enough so some dropped out in high school

4. Drugs and alcohol are a big part on some reservations and they get caught in that

5. Some people don’t think they can make it that far and they are afraid to try because they think they’ll fail

I had a good day especially with Katie from Western U. We wrote about diseases and some that are genetic. I wrote about asthma and how it can be passed down from gene to gene, I also loved listening to when the Rose’ friends came in and talked to us and when Rose and Joe  talked about all the things that are going on back at home and what went on and all the Native American women that went missing. It made me sad and it makes me want to cry, they did and are still helping other native american people from ending up on the streets. I also liked when Dani and Kat sang! Gives me the chills every time !

I think that college is important but some people don’t think so, some kids around my reservation don’t make it out of high school. College is important because you can come back years later and give back to your community, and you get a good education when you go to college, you encourage your other family members to go to college, college is important for me because I’m gonna be the first to go in my grandpa’s side of the family. My day was a really great day me, Thelma, and Joye laughed so hard at The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian! We laughed so hard at one part and we won’t ever quit laughing sat it because it’s so funny, I think that part we laughed at is always going to be a little inside joke for us 3. I hope after this program I’ll be friends with the new people I met, I’m still friend with the others from last year that aren’t here this year. It’s going to be another great 2 weeks here and I hope to come back next year.! – MacKayla Sharon

My name is MacKayla Sharon George I’m from the Lummi Nation tribe or as some of our people say Lhaq’te’mish. I’m going to be in 11th grade I go to Lummi Nation Tribal School, It’s a K-12 school so I’ve been at Lummi Nation School since Kindergarden. I come from two huge families there’s the Scott side that are serious about school and are strict, then theres the crazy Revey side that are really funny and like to have a great time, they can be serious when it comes to school too, that’s just because they all love us and want us to succeed in life, my grandpa always tells me everyday I will be the first to graduate college in the family and that makes me want to try so much more harder and to be a great example for all my little siblings and cousins. I love the Pitzer program there are really great and amazing people here and they inspire me and I hope to inspire people at home to do things like this I can’t wait until I graduate and go to college. Today was a good day I can’t believe I got to come back and meet new people and see the faces from last year, I can’t wait to go back to the village, that was my favorite part! My day was a great day and I can’t wait and see what tomorrow’s day brings! ❤

I’ve been having some really awkward, strange dreams about the island and everybody is in them! It’s like these dreams are repeating! They won’t go away! I see everybody in my dreams though… There’s places on the island in my dreams that look familiar in reality but in my dreams I don’t know where and what they are! Really getting curious!?!?!? It’s driving me crazy I really want to know what and where they are! Is it a sign or something?

I miss everybody so much already especially Mati Luhui! There such amazing inspirational awesome people I’m so glad I got to meet them! Everybody else to I cried so hard! I cried from the village to almost all the way to the airport! Then we missed our flight and had to stay one more night. I am now at home and happy to be here but can’t wait to go back next year, my sister is coming to pipeline next year with me! More Lummi kids, pretty soon lummi kids will be taking over pipeline pretty soon! I’m finally going out on the water now! I also got my sage stacked and ready for every morning. I can home a totally different more mature person! Also darker lol my mom told me she was looking for a white girl and she started noticing I got darker lol! I miss everybody I need numbers ASAP! Love you all!!!! “Hy’shqe Siam Ne Scheleche Siam” that means “Thank you my friends and relative”❤️❤️❤️

This experience has been so amazing being apart of this program! Just being here at the village and Pitzer! The best part ever was the island! The island is like unexplainable it’s so breath-taking I want to so definitely come back next year! The mentors are awesome so are the Chumash kids the program kids, Scott, Matti and his wife( I really need to learn how to spell her name) the elders! Everybody is so awesome I’m really grateful for that because everybody was here for me when I was going through a hard time with my auntie and they are the most amazing people in the world I’m so glad I got to know and experience this with everybody

It was amazing here and at the island! I don’t want to go back home; it seems so peaceful and happy here, I wish I could stay here for as long as I want! But I can’t! I can’t wait to come back next year! The island was so amazing, I want to stay there, I wish we could stay there it was amazing. It was fun kayaking and swimming and riding in the back of the truck with Matti and his wife(I don’t know how to spell her name but I know it) I was shy around them at first but I started to warm up to them! There such amazing, inspirational people. All three of us had a great time the first day at the island they were laughing because there were puddles and the kids that had to walk we’re going to have to walk through them! 😂😄 I would love to come back next year and do this it was so breathtaking on the island I wish I could stay there forever!

Today was a very good day I enjoyed the math today and I was happy today! I wasn’t really into the math when I first got here but today was fun doing it! I also am now thinking about going to The University Of Redlands! It seems like a really great college to go to I definitely would! I am! I guess I could get used to this weather if I want to go to the University Of Redlands because it sounds great! -MacKayla!

An encounter

with an elder

that taught me something:

We have a lot of elders on our reservation, and my cousin, Destiny, and I were walking home after school because we missed the bus; it was a beautiful, sunny day out. We watched the canoes pull out in the water; the sun was reflecting off of the water, the canoes were going out, and we watched the canoes until we couldn’t see them anymore.

Then we started walking home we got to Little Bear Rest Home and saw a little old lady carrying a whole bunch of bags, so we decided to help her. We grabbed her bags as we walked up the hill, and she started talking to us. She said she had caught the city bus home, and that nobody would help her with her bags beforehand. We started talking to her, and she asked my cousin and I who are parents are. First, Destiny answered and the little lady said she knew who Destiny’s parents and grandparents were. Which then spurred the old lady to tell a couple stories about Destiny’s relatives.

Then the old lady turned me, and in her scratchy little voice asked, “And who are your parents and grandparents?”

I explained who my parents were, she seemed like she didn’t know them. But then I went on, and said in a respectful tone that my grandparents are Jim and Sharon Scott. She then questioned me, “Sharon Revey?”

“Yeah, that’s her maiden name.”

Then she went on and on, more excitedly now, about my Auntie Karen and Sharon, because they’re twin sisters. The old lady also told me about my great-grandma and grandpa, Arlene and Manuel, whom I have never met or heard about before in my life. She continue to explain how caring and sweet my great-grandparents were for other people. She also talked about how they were very good people, with a large smile on her wrinkled face, because both of my great-grandparents knew how to fish and cook, and seemed like she knew they could probably overcome any kind challenge . Then, since it was 4:30 or 5:00nin late dusky evening, I called my grandma. And I could hear my grandma’s scared voice starting to getting mad because I hadn’t been home when I was suppose to be, so we quickly finished giving the little old lady help. The old lady thanked us and told us in her small voice, filled to the brim with long and heavy breaths, “What you do for people will come back to you when you’re in need of help”.

And that was the last time I saw that little old lady. But that was okay, I got to know so much more about my great-grandparents, and that made my heart so happy I could just cry! The little old lady had filled my heart with such joyfulness, and I had filled hers with the same by helping and respecting my elders. We were taught to always help our elders when they’re in need, and I am so glad that I did!

Today was fun! It was great meeting some new people! Excited for these next 2 weeks!