In partnership with Diné College, the University of Arizona established the “Advancing Postsecondary Attainment and Research in STEAM for Tribal Students” program in fall 2021. The program is dubbed “Bridge to STEAM” and works to provide Native American undergraduate students with a clear and culturally responsive pathway for transfer to UArizona. Indige-FEWSS Trainees Mark Clytus and Christopher Yazzie participate in establishing the program’s bridge to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and mathematics) as mentors to Diné College undergraduates.

This month Senior Vice President Levi Esquerra organized and delivered PPE to the White Mountain Apache Tribe and the Yavapai Apache Nation in Prescott.  In addition to the PPE and COVID test kits delivered to Arizona tribes in 2020, the University of Arizona has delivered PPE shipments to the several Arizona tribes this year:

In March 2021, the Haury Program officially launched the Native Pathways component of the Tribal Resilience Initiative to support the recruitment and retention of faculty, researchers, students, and staff whose teaching, scholarship, or outreach centers on matters relevant to Native American and Indigenous resilience. Dr. Jameson D. Lopez, Assistant Professor, UArizona Educational Policy Studies and Practice at the College of Education, is one of three successful candidates awarded a Haury Tribal Resilience Initiative Award last month.

CUES Distinguished Fellowships aim to acknowledge and advance faculty scholarship and innovation in education together with a growing community of CUES Distinguished Fellows at the University of Arizona. The fellowship acknowledges Dr. Tsosie-Paddock's  commitment and dedication to university’s educational mission and includes three years of funding to carry out her proposed project, Shifting Pedagogies for Learning the Navajo Language: Applying a Mentor-Apprentice Paradigm through Technology, starting in Fall 2021.

Assistant Professor Jameson D. Lopez is the recipient of the University of Arizona Early Career Scholars Award, established to acknowledge outstanding early career faculty who are at the forefront of their disciplines and make highly valued contributions to the teaching, creative activity, and service priorities in the university's Strategic Plan.

Congratulations to Dr. Karletta Chief on receiving the University Distinguished Outreach Faculty Award for 2021! This honor recognizes faculty who demonstrate outstanding commitment to outreach for the common good of the state and the nation, and it is the highest honor awarded in this category at the University of Arizona. 

Ms. Morgan is a member of the Navajo Nation and her hometown is Tuba City. Ms. Morgan reflected recently to me how the UA was the only university she applied to as she was certain it was the right place for her growth and learning. Four years later, she is confident in her decision and is a strong advocate for the Wildcats.

Ms. Valenzuela also has an exceptional record of service, both to our University and to the larger community. As a first-generation student, she is particularly passionate about helping other students like herself to achieve their goals, much as in the way she herself was helped along the way. Ms. Valenzuela’s community service began as a Volunteer College Coach for the Metropolitan Education Commission, where she volunteered to help her peers obtain scholarships and apply to FAFSA.

As a full-time student, Ms. Cheromiah has always demonstrated a strong commitment to her education, seeing it as a vehicle to not only advance her own educational goals, but also as a means for advancing the wellbeing of her tribal community and inspiring others to pursue higher education. She exhibits this consistently, creatively, and with great passion.

Mrs. Abeyta is a member of the Navajo Nation originally from To'hajiilee, New Mexico. She is a 2021 Juris Doctor Candidate in good standing at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. Ms. Abeyta chose to attend law school as a way of improving her life, the life of her family, and to develop the skills necessary for a continued career in public service.