SOOOOO this was a great two weeks staying at Pitzer. I made so many friends and learned a lot of information that will help me with college. When I first arrived i thought that since people that already came knew each other, so i thought that i was going to make no friends. But I thought wrong i made so many strong friendships with students and mentors. All of the mentors had a great sense of humor expectantly Aoloni. I think that since Aolani is so close to my age that how we got along so well. I’m greatfull for Weliyah, Michelle, Lohci, Alejandro, Aoloni, and Adrian for making this a great two weeks. I want to thank Julia for excepting us as her own grandchildren and for her for sharing her culture. I want to thank Genna and Gina for showing us how to photo shop and helping with us with all the blogs. One think that will be forever in my memories is all the classes and all the free time that all of us spent together. One major memorize is when we all traveled to Wishtoyo and all bonded in a way that will never be broken. This was one programs is now going into the books.
Blog
Thank Yous and Takeaways by James Fenelon
The Native Youth to College program (NY2C) is now coming to an end it is appropriate to say a couple words of farewell. The first words go out to the elders which are the reason any of the activities within the program were possible. They did a great job of mixing fun with learning and deciding which times were appropriate for which. Julia, Scott, and the mentors did an excellent job of guiding the youth. Without them we would not have any foundations to build upon. From those foundations there were many takeaways from the program. NY2C wove together getting into college, college life, as well as importance of culture. Every student shined during the two weeks while we were together. I am going to miss all of the family I have gained here. Hopefully we do not forget one another and that our roads cross in the future. Notice how the final words are farewells and not goodbyes, this is because we will see each other in the future in one form or another.
Day 12, Mathew’s last entry…
well the time has come to an end… I wanna say thanks to all the mentors, that were able to put up with me and my brother. lol, Alejandro I wanna say thank you for being my mentor because I don’t think any other mentor would have made me feel right in at this camp. To all the teachers that taught me new things I wanna say thank you because your just making our future easier for us. Thank you Julia for being my elder, you made me feel like I was one of your own grandchildren XD, but also to all the other elders who I talked to and taught me about your past and culture. last be least I just wanna thank all the kids that are here and made me and my crazy brother feel like at home, and just shared memorable moments together here at the camp and Wistoyo .
last blog post- Kayani
I want to thank Michelle for being the most understanding, encouraging and helpful. to me she was kind and concerned for my safety. She was my mentor, but that’s not the reason i like her. i like her because she responsible, and she someone i think i can relate to. i learned to try hard and not give up when things get hard. i’m gonna carry this in the new activities i try
Natalie – My Native Portrait
I chose to do these images as my native portrait because this Mayan pyramid is Chichen Itza which is one of my favorite pyramids from the Mayan civilization. With this photo I want to convey the message that I’m an urban indigenous youth with Mayan roots. Most people who are not knowledgable on indigenous people tend to have a stereotype for Mayans. Through this photo I want people to see that I am not just Mayan, but I’m also an urban indigenous youth who advocates for her community, Los Angeles.
Last Blog, Goodbye :(
Andrew H.
7/18/2018
I wanna thank My mentor Adrian, for being a cool guy, We always joked around, kinda like a brother, who doesn’t beat me, lol just kidding. I respect him, And im thankful for having him as my mentor, hope I’l see you next year maybe If I do go. I also wanna thank uncle Mati for letting us stay in his village, I’ve been there before and I treat him and his family with respect, I also see him as family. R.I.P Sho Shui
Staying at Pitzer in a dorm, is really cool, It prepares me, when I actually go to college. When I’m there the college treats you with a lot of freedom, and pretty much they treat you like a adult. what I have learned over the past few days is being responsible, and acting mature Like im responsible to get to my next class on time. washing my own cloths, And I have to act mature Because i’m already a young adult, Im not going to go climb or be loud around other dorms. That what I learned over the past few days.
Photoshop
My photo says no matter what tribe you have, be proud of your native pride and we all have a power and you will find out when you need it. And its says, love and like your culture music and try to learn your language. Learn how to sing in your language. No matter where your from and where your people live, just be happy and love your people and be yourself.
Blog Prompt Arlene
Everyone guided me wherever I went. If I was confused(which I was a lot) everyone explained to how to do the problem or where I was supposed to be. I really enjoyed the program I made so many friendships with people. It was super fun to experience all these wonderful moments with these amazing people. I’m more outgoing and less shy speaking out loud in front of a group. This program was amazing I loved it a lot and I had a lot of fun. Thank you all for helping me out when I needed it your amazing!
Beginning of the End of the Program: Tyvon Greyeyes
Sadly this day marks the beginning of the end for Mayan Math, Indigenous Games, and even Blogging. First I’d like to thank our elders Julia, and Mahti, our teachers Santos, Shelva, Angela, and Val for the life changing information that will benefit me in the future. We learned about Environmental Law, Applying for College, Mayan Math, and many more interesting topics that I will do my best to apply to my tribe and local community. The most impactful thing that I learned from this program was environmental law because it shows how much we need to improve the quality and beauty of our Mother Earth. Another topic that impacted me was when Bradley Henson came for a presentation about how we can mix western medicine with traditional medicine which opened my eyes to new ways to help our communities. Finally I’d like to thank all of those who provided this crazy fun experience for me and overall be my friends and teachers throughout the program.
Jada’s Blog
Having my mentor and the elders at the Native Youth 2 College program was a big help.I became friends with many people and had great experiences with other kids.The mentors helped alot when I had writers block.They helped me when I didn’t know what to do.I had great experiences here and learned alot.One of my favorite things that we did here was going to the island and going kayaking.On the first day of the program I already didn’t like it but,later on I realized what a great privilege it is to come here and learn new things.I will miss everyone in the program and I hope to come again next year.
nativeyouth2college.org 