Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
>> OUR AMERICAN GRADUATE SERIES IS BACK THIS WEEK.
FOR THE NEXT HALF HOUR, THE HOST OF NATIVE AMERICAN
CALLING, TARA GATEWOOD, HOSTS A DISCUSSION WITH SOME
REMARKABLE NATIVE STUDENTS. MOST ARE IN HIGH SCHOOL.
THEY'VE BEEN IN SMALL SCHOOLS, LIKE THE NATIVE
AMERICAN COMMUNITY ACADEMY, OR THE SANTA FE INDIAN
SCHOOL. SOME GO TO LARGE TRADITIONAL
SCHOOLS, LIKE ALBUQUERQUE HIGH OR SANDIA HIGH.
ONE GRADUATED FROM ESPANOLA, AND WILL SOON GRADUATE FROM
THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO.
ALL OF THEM SHARE A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT IT MEANS
TO BE A NATIVE AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, AND WHAT IT
TAKES TO STAY IN SCHOOL AND TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
HERE IS TARA GATEWOOD. >> WELL, WELCOME ALL OF YOU
TO THIS TALKING CIRCLE. WE ALL LOOK FORWARD TO
LEARNING ABOUT EACH OTHER, AND A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT
HOW EDUCATION REALLY PLAYS OUT.
SO I WANT TO START WITH THE WORD COMMITMENT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL SAY THAT WITH EDUCATION COMES
COMMITMENT. SO I'D LOVE TO HEAR WHERE
YOUR COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION STARTED WITH.
>> PROBABLY AFTER MY SOPHOMORE YEAR, BECAUSE WHEN
YOU ENTER HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN YEAR AND SOPHOMORE
YEAR, I DIDN'T REALLY TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
WHEN I WAS A JUNIOR, IT JUST HIT ME THAT LIFE WAS COMING
AT ME, AND LIKE I NEEDED TO GROW UP AND TO BE
RESPONSIBLE AND TO COMMIT, AND TO STRIVE FOR WHAT YOU
WANT AND LOOK AHEAD AT WHAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU AND
WHAT YOU HAVE. >> AND FOR YOU, RICHARD,
HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THAT ONE?
WHEN DID YOUR COMMITMENT START?
>> MY COMMITMENT STARTED AS SOON AS I STARTED HEAD
START. MY MOTHER AND FATHER ALWAYS
TOLD ME, LEARN AS MUCH AS I CAN, BECAUSE WITH EDUCATION,
YOU CAN GO AS FAR AS YOU WANT.
AND I BELIEVE THAT'S TRUE, BECAUSE I HAVE AUNTIES AND
UNCLES THAT HAVE GOTTEN THE BEST EDUCATION THAT THEY
POSSIBLY COULD, AND MY AUNTIE RECENTLY RAN FOR THE
STATE REPRESENTATIVE POSITION.
SHE'S ONE OF MY ROLE MODELS. AND I BELIEVE THAT BEING
COMMITTED TO EDUCATION, YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT.
>> SHANIA, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EDUCATION TAKING US TO
PLACES WE WANT TO GO, DO YOU FEEL YOUR PATH HAS GIVEN YOU
THAT OPPORTUNITY TO GO WHERE YOU WANT TO WITH YOUR
EDUCATION? >> I HAVE ACTUALLY HAD SO
MANY DIFFERENT PATHS THAT HAVE COME TOWARD ME, AND I
THINK I'VE OFFICIALLY FOUND WHERE I WANT TO GO, AND
THAT'S WITHIN PHYSICAL THERAPY.
AND WITH THAT, I HAD STARTED ACTUALLY SOCCER IN 8TH
GRADE. I ACTUALLY HAD MY BEST
FRIEND HELP ME. AND EVER SINCE THEN, I'VE
ALWAYS WANTED TO PLAY SOCCER AND I WANTED TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT THE BODY, AND I WANT TO CONTINUE AND GO INTO
PHYSICAL THERAPY, HOPEFULLY BECOME A SPORTS TRAINER
ALSO. >> YOU KNOW, EARLIER
RICHARD MENTIONED FAMILY, AND FOR YOU, MAGGIE, HOW DO
YOU THINK FAMILY PLAYS INTO YOUR OWN PERSONAL PATH OF
EDUCATION? >> WELL, I THINK FAMILY IS
EVERYTHING, WHETHER IT BE THE FAMILY THAT YOU'RE
RELATED TO, OR THE FAMILY THAT YOU FIND AT YOUR
SCHOOL. IT'S THAT CONNECTION THAT
YOU MAKE WITH PEOPLE. AND THEN, ALSO, THE
CONNECTION TO MY RELATIVES BACK HOME IN SOUTH DAKOTA.
THINKING ABOUT THEIR NEEDS FOR THE FUTURE AND THE
FUTURE OF MY COMMUNITY HAS REALLY -- HAVING THAT
CONNECTION, EVEN THOUGH I'M SO FAR AWAY, HAS REALLY
HELPED ME THINK ABOUT THE SERVICE THAT I WANT TO
PROVIDE WHEN I GET OLDER AND WHEN I GO THROUGH COLLEGE,
WHETHER IT BE HELPING WITH THE LANGUAGE, OR HELPING
LIKE SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO HELP SUSTAIN OUR COMMUNITY
SO THAT IT CAN BECOME SELF-SUSTAINING AND
SOVEREIGN. >> NOW, IS THERE A CERTAIN
TIME THAT YOU CAN RECALL WHEN YOU WERE SITTING IN A
CLASSROOM AND YOU REALLY FELT YOU WERE MAKING THOSE
CONNECTIONS, SO YOU COULD GO WHERE YOU WANTED TO?
>> YES, DEFINITELY. SOMETHING THAT REALLY HAS
ACTUALLY PERSONALLY CONNECTED ME TO MY
EDUCATION -- LIKE RICHARD MENTIONED, HE STARTED HIS
EDUCATION COMMITMENT WHEN HE STARTED HEAD START, WHICH I
THINK WE ALL START WHETHER WE WANT TO OR NOT.
BUT WHEN THAT PERSONAL DRIVE CAME TO ME WAS WHEN I
STARTED I THINK IN 7TH GRADE AT LAKOTA LANGUAGE CLASS AT
THE NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY ACADEMY.
I REALLY FELT LIKE THE LANGUAGE WAS A PART OF ME,
AND I WAS CONNECTED TO THAT. AND LIKE IT WAS CONNECTING
ME TO MY CULTURE AND CONNECTING ME TO MY SCHOOL,
WHICH CENTERS AROUND CULTURE.
AND I REALLY KIND OF FOUND THAT DRIVE, AND THAT
UNLOCKED THAT PART OF ME THAT WAS HAPPY TO LEARN,
THAT WAS HAPPY TO DO SOMETHING IN LIFE.
>> AND IS THAT WHAT KEEPS YOU IN THE ROAD THAT YOU'RE
ON IN YOUR EDUCATION, THAT YOU DON'T BECOME A PART OF A
STATISTIC, OF A DROP-OUT STATISTIC?
>> YES, DEFINITELY. I THINK ESPECIALLY THE
LANGUAGE LEADS TO MY CONNECTION TO MY CULTURE,
WHICH HAS CREATED SO MUCH CONFIDENCE IN MYSELF.
>> I LIKE THAT WORD. I WANT TO PIGGYBACK OFF OF
THAT WORD, CONFIDENCE. CAN YOU RECALL A MOMENT IN
ONE OF YOUR CLASSROOM SETTINGS WHERE YOU FELT YOU
WERE GAINING MORE CONFIDENCE, OR MAYBE EVEN
MORE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW EDUCATION MIGHT BE CONNECTED
TO CONFIDENCE? >> I JUST THINK CONFIDENCE,
LIKE EVERYDAY IN CLASS, WHETHER IT BE LIKE IN MATH
OR WHEN I USED TO TAKE LAKOTA LANGUAGE WITH THESE
GUYS, JUST BEING INTERACTIVE, I GUESS, WOULD
MAKE ME MORE CONFIDENT. INTERACTIONS WITHIN THE
CLASS. >> SO HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT
TO BE ABLE TO SEE CULTURE WOVEN INTO EITHER CLASSROOM
SETTINGS OR SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT WERE
AVAILABLE AT SCHOOL? WAS IT IMPORTANT?
>> YES. CULTURE IS IMPORTANT NO
MATTER WHAT YOU'RE DOING, BECAUSE CULTURE INSTILLS
THESE CERTAIN TEACHINGS THAT ALLOW YOU TO BE SMARTER AND
MAKE BETTER DECISIONS IN YOUR FUTURE.
>> THINKING ABOUT IT PLAYING A ROLE INTO
EDUCATION, DO YOU THINK IF THERE ISN'T CULTURE IN A
SCHOOL SETTING, THAT THAT PLAYS INTO THE WAY PEOPLE
RELATE TO A SCHOOL, AND THEN, OF COURSE, MAYBE INTO
THE DROP-OUT RATE? ELIZABETH, WHAT DO YOU THINK
ABOUT THAT ONE? >> YES, I DEFINITELY THINK
THAT IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR CULTURE INCORPORATED INTO
YOUR SCHOOLWORK OR INTO YOUR DAILY LIFE THAT YOU KIND OF
LOSE THAT, AND LIKE WANTING TO GIVE BACK TO YOUR
COMMUNITY. I'M A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT
WHEN IT COMES TO CULTURE. I DIDN'T HAVE THE POSITIVE
EXPERIENCE OF BEING IN A SCHOOL WHERE IT WAS PART OF
THE FOUNDATION OF A SCHOOL. SO ON MY PERSPECTIVE, LIKE
BEING A PART OF A SMALL TOWN AND JUST SEEING MASS MEDIA
PORTRAY NATIVE PEOPLE AS SO MANY DIFFERENT DEPICTIONS
THAT WERE FALSE, AND I COULDN'T IDENTIFY WITH
BECAUSE THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT I'M A PART OF AT HOME,
OR MY CULTURE IS A PART OF AT HOME, SO REALLY SEEING
THOSE VISUALS KIND OF MADE ME HONESTLY BE ASHAMED TO BE
NATIVE. SO I STARTED MORE
IDENTIFYING WITH MY OTHER CULTURES, RATHER THAN BEING
NATIVE AMERICAN, UNTIL I FINALLY HAD, I GUESS, AN
ENLIGHTENMENT OF WHO I WAS. LIKE, I FELT LIKE I WAS LOST
UNTIL I FOUND MY CULTURE. >> I WANT TO THROW THAT
GENERAL QUESTION OUT THERE OF DIFFICULTIES THAT YOU
THINK PEOPLE FACE WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO MATCH
BEING A GREAT STUDENT, BEING COMMITTED TO IT, BRINGING
THAT CULTURE IN AND ALSO FIGURING OUT WHERE THIS IS
ALL GOING NEXT. >> I THINK IT'S MOSTLY JUST
TRYING TO FIND YOUR IDENTITY, IS WHERE IT
BEGINS, AND JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO YOU ARE,
WHERE YOU COME FROM, AND WHAT YOU WANT TO DO.
AND ONCE YOU FIND THAT, THAT'S WHEN YOU FIGURE OUT
WHERE YOU WANT TO GO IN LIFE, WHAT YOUR FUTURE PLANS
ARE. I THINK IT'S TO TRY TO THINK
ON A POSITIVE NOTE RATHER THAN TRYING TO PUT YOURSELF
DOWN AND TELL YOURSELF THAT YOU CAN'T DO THIS JUST
BECAUSE YOU'RE A CERTAIN WAY.
IT'S TO TRY TO THINK POSITIVE AND STAY UPLIFTING,
AND BE LIKE, NO, I CAN, BECAUSE I COME FROM A PLACE
WHERE MY ANCESTORS FOUGHT FOR WHAT THEY WANTED.
AND SO I COME FROM THAT PERSEVERANCE, WHERE I CAN DO
THAT, TOO. >> I THINK ONE OF THE
DIFFICULTIES THAT KIDS NOWADAYS IN RESERVATION
LANDS HAVE IS GETTING OFF OF THE RESERVATIONS AND COMING
TO AN URBAN AREA, AND GIVING THEMSELVES THE OPPORTUNITY
TO BETTER THEMSELVES SO THEY CAN GO BACK AND HELP THOSE
KIDS WHO ARE FACING THOSE SAME PROBLEMS THAT THEY DID.
DEFINITELY BEING ON THE RESERVATION MADE IT HARD
WHEN THERE'S ALCOHOLISM, THERE'S ABUSE.
AND I WAS IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP.
JUST BEING IN THAT TURMOIL OF ALL OF THESE NEGATIVE
FACTORS THAT HAPPEN TO BE THERE, AND KNOWING AS A
CHILD I GREW UP WITH THAT, AND I KNEW -- I REMEMBER
THOSE FEELINGS OF BEING PART OF THAT BROKEN HOME.
I WOULD JUST TUNE INTO TV, BECAUSE THAT WAS WHAT I
THOUGHT WAS HOW A FAMILY SHOULD BE, AND THIS IS HOW
IT SHOULD BE. BUT THEN, LIKE MAGGIE SAID,
LIKE YOU FIND FAMILY OTHER PLACES.
LIKE SHE FOUND IT AT NACA, AND SHE'S FROM HOME, AS SHE
MENTIONED EARLIER. I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING
UNIQUE, THAT YOU DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO HAVE
YOUR FAMILY TO SUPPORT YOU, YOU HAVE OTHER PEOPLE THERE
STANDING WITH YOU, AND THAT'S WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT
THERE ARE THOSE PEOPLE THAT CARE, AND YOU CAN GO AND YOU
CAN STRIVE AND YOU CAN DO THE BEST YOU CAN, TO THE
BEST OF YOUR ABILITY. AND LIKE YOU MENTIONED WITH
YOUR ANCESTORS, THEY FOUGHT HARD AND THEY DID IT, SO
THAT JUST GIVES YOU MORE OF LIKE A STANDING POINT AND A
ROCK TO CONTINUE TO GO AND MOVE FORWARD.
>> WHAT DID YOU HAVE TO DO TO REACH THAT?
>> I WENT AWAY ON A PROGRAM IN MASSACHUSETTS FOR FIVE
WEEKS, AND I MET PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
AND THEIR STEREOTYPE OF NATIVE AMERICANS IS THAT
WE'RE DRUNKS, WE LIVE IN TEEPEES, WE'RE NOT VERY
URBANIZED AND WE'RE NOT VERY SMART AS A PEOPLE.
BUT WE ARE, AND I WANT TO GET THAT MESSAGE OUT.
LIKE JAMIE SAID BEFORE, I WANT US TO BECOME A STRONGER
PEOPLE, LIKE WE USED TO IN THE OLD DAYS, AND OUR
ANCESTORS, HOW WE FOUGHT FOR WHAT WE WANTED.
I WANTED PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES AND DIFFERENT
ETHNICITIES TO SEE THAT'S WHO WE ARE, NOT THIS
STEREOTYPE OUTSIDE OF THE RESERVATIONS.
>> LET ME PIGGYBACK A LITTLE BIT ON WHAT ELIZABETH
SAID. HOW DOES THE OUTSIDE WORLD'S
PERCEPTION OF US AS A NATIVE PEOPLE PLAY INTO THE
EDUCATION? >> I ALSO WENT TO A SUMMER
PROGRAM IN MASSACHUSETTS. THIS IS LIKE A VERY
CHALLENGING PROGRAM. AND WHEN I WENT THERE, I MET
DOZENS OF PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.
AND WHEN THEY ASKED WHERE I WAS FROM AND WHO I AM, I
EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M NAVAJO AND LAKOTA,
AND THEY WERE LIKE, WHAT'S THAT?
SOME PEOPLE WERE LIKE -- ONE EXAMPLE I GOT WAS, OH, I
THOUGHT YOU PEOPLE WERE EXTINCT, WHICH REALLY KIND
OF MADE ME ANGRY. AND THAT'S A DIFFICULTY.
IT JUST MADE ME REALIZE, WE'RE NOT GONE.
WE NEED TO, ALL OF US, LIKE OUR GENERATION, WE NEED TO
STEP UP IN ORDER TO PUT THESE STEREOTYPES, JUST PUT
THEM AWAY, AND TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL SO THAT WE DON'T
GET REACTIONS LIKE THAT. >> I KNOW A LOT OF US, WHEN
WE SAY HOME, WE'RE ACTUALLY REFERRING TO OUR OWN TRIBAL
COMMUNITIES. WE ALWAYS REFER TO IT AS
THAT ENDEARING WORD OF HOME. BACK HOME, OR WHEN I RETURN
TO HOME, OR LEAVING HOME. SO BRITTANY, I WANTED TO
HEAR FROM YOU ABOUT THAT CHALLENGE THAT MAYBE SOME
STUDENTS FACE OF HAVING TO LEAVE HOME TO GO GET AN
EDUCATION, OR MAYBE EVEN TO HOLD ONTO THEIR EDUCATION.
>> MY MOM, AFTER SHE HAD ME, SHE WANTED TO CONTINUE
GOING TO SCHOOL, WHICH IS VERY HARD WITH A CHILD, AND
SHE WAS LIVING AT HOME WITH HER MOM.
SO I THINK IT WAS A REALLY BIG STEP WHEN MY MOM DECIDED
TO RELOCATE US TO ALBUQUERQUE.
SHE WAS LIKE A FULL-TIME STUDENT OVER AT UNM, AND A
COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, I THINK IT WAS IN 2010, SHE
GRADUATED WITH HER BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH. SO JUST SEEING SOME OF THE
STUFF THAT MY MOM WENT THROUGH TO TRY AND BETTER
HERSELF, BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BE LIKE NOT A VERY
GOOD PARENT AND NOT SET AN EXAMPLE.
SHE HAS HIGH STANDARDS FOR ME.
SO I WAS BASICALLY -- I KIND OF GREW UP HERE IN
ALBUQUERQUE, BUT MY MOM MADE SURE THAT I GOT TO SEE MY
DAD'S SIDE AND MY MOM'S SIDE OVER BACK HOME.
AND I KIND OF SAW -- LIKE, IT GAVE ME A REALLY GOOD
PERSPECTIVE, BASICALLY, BECAUSE I SAW SOME OF MY
MOM'S FRIENDS, LIKE THE FILMMAKERS HERE IN
ALBUQUERQUE, AND LIKE A LOT OF THE NATIVE PEOPLE THAT
SHE CONNECTED WITH LIKE AT POW-WOWS AND STUFF LIKE
THAT, AND THEN I ALSO SAW LIKE MY FAMILY BACK ON THE
REZ, AND HOW SOME OF THEM, THEY HAD ACHIEVED SO MUCH
LIKE IN THEIR HIGH SCHOOL CAREER, AND THEN THEY JUST
STARTED SLOWLY GOING DOWNHILL.
IT'S LIKE, ONE OF MY UNCLES WAS LIKE A STATE CHAMPION
TRACK RUNNER, AND NOW HE'S JUST AT HOME.
HE'S BEEN THROWN IN JAIL HOWEVER MANY TIMES.
YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE -- IT'S JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE
SURROUNDED BY A LOT OF THAT. IT'S HOW A LOT OF THESE
NATIVE PEOPLE, THEY JUST BECOME A PART -- IT'S A PART
OF OUR CULTURE, AS MANY PEOPLE SEE IT NOW.
I THINK LIVING IN ALBUQUERQUE AND BEING
CONSIDERED AN URBAN INDIAN, IT HAS REALLY GIVEN ME A
PERSPECTIVE AND ALLOWED ME TO GET MY VOICE OUT, BECAUSE
I'VE LIVED BACK HOME. I MEAN, I LIVED THERE A
COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. IT'S JUST, NOW I CAN SEE THE
EDUCATION SIDE TO IT. LIKE BACK HOME, YOU KNOW,
I'D TAKE NAVAJO LANGUAGE CLASSES.
INSTEAD OF TAKING SPANISH, YOU CAN TAKE NAVAJO.
AND WHEN I CAME BACK HERE, LIKE AT SCHOOL WHEN PEOPLE
FOUND OUT THAT I COULD TALK NAVAJO, SOME OF MY TEACHERS
WOULD BE LIKE, OH, TALK NAVAJO FOR US, AND I WOULD
TALK NAVAJO. IT WAS LIKE OKAY FOR THE
FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKS AND STUFF, UNTIL IT STARTED
BEING -- LIKE IN THE CLASSROOM, THEY KEPT WANTING
ME TO SPEAK IT, AND I'M LIKE, I WANT TO SPEAK IT,
BUT I ALSO WANT TO LEARN. YOU KNOW, I'M KIND OF HERE
TO LEARN. THEY KIND OF TREATED ME LIKE
I WAS SOME OTHER SPECIES, I GUESS.
>> BLENDING IN, I THINK IT'S A GREAT POINT TO MAKE,
YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT THOSE CHALLENGES OF EITHER
MAKING THAT COMMITMENT, AM I GOING TO BLEND IN, OR AM I
NOT, AND IS THAT GOING TO BE MY PATH.
DOES ANYONE WANT TO PIGGYBACK ON THAT?
I'M SEEING NODS. >> WELL, ONE THING THAT WE
TALK ABOUT A LOT IN CLASS, AND NOW THAT WE'RE
APPROACHING A TIME WHERE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO TO
COLLEGE WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT AREN'T REALLY
KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT OUR CULTURE, THAT AREN'T REALLY
KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT HOW WE ARE.
I MEAN, THEY THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO BE EXTINCT OR
SOMETHING. IT'S TALKING ABOUT, I THINK
SOMEONE MENTIONED IT EARLIER, ABOUT THAT BALANCE
BETWEEN NOT TURNING OFF THE CULTURAL NATIVE PART OF
YOURSELF TO FIT IN WITH THE REST OF THE DOMINANT SOCIETY
THAT YOU'RE IN, BUT ALSO NOT BEING, OR I GUESS -- YEAH,
LIKE SEPARATING YOURSELF FROM THE REST OF SOCIETY IN
ORDER TO KEEP YOUR CULTURE INTACT, WHICH IS WHAT YOU
HAVE TO DO SOMETIMES. BUT YOU ALSO, I THINK, HAVE
TO FIND A WAY TO PROPERLY EDUCATE PEOPLE WITHOUT
CONVEYING THE WRONG MESSAGE, WITHOUT GETTING ANGRY, AND
KIND OF BEING PATIENT. I ALSO WENT TO A SUMMER
PROGRAM. I WENT TO ONE THIS SUMMER,
AND IT WAS REALLY HARD BECAUSE I WAS ONE OF TWO
NATIVE KIDS OUT OF, I DON'T KNOW, 50 KIDS, AND THEY
THOUGHT LIKE I WAS CHASING BIRDS AS A PART OF A RITUAL
OR SOMETHING. EVERYTHING I DID, THEY KIND
OF ANALYZED IT. LIKE AN EXHIBIT, LIKE YOU
SAID. AND I DIDN'T LIKE BEING
ANALYZED, SO I JUST KIND OF SHUT THAT PART OF ME DOWN.
AND I'D JUST CAME FROM THE LAKOTA LANGUAGE INSTITUTE A
COUPLE DAYS BEFORE I LEFT FOR PENNSYLVANIA, AND IT WAS
REALLY HARD TO KIND OF TRANSITION FROM SPEAKING MY
LANGUAGE SO MUCH TO BEING AFRAID TO SPEAK IT IN ORDER
TO GET -- BEING AFRAID TO SPEAK IT IN ORDER TO NOT
HAVE TO EXPLAIN IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER
AGAIN, AND JUST GET ANGRY BECAUSE PEOPLE AREN'T
GETTING IT. SO I THINK FINDING THAT
BALANCE IS REALLY IMPORTANT, AND I THINK IT'S REALLY --
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A DIFFERENCE.
LIKE WHEN YOU SAID YOU WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL SO ENOUGH
PEOPLE ARE EDUCATED ABOUT HOW WE EXIST IN THIS WORLD
AND HOW PROMINENT WE ARE, SO THAT WE WON'T HAVE TO HAVE
THESE HARDSHIPS ONCE WE GO OFF TO COLLEGE, OR ONCE WE
GO OFF TO SOMEWHERE WHERE WE'RE NOT SURROUNDED BY
PEOPLE OF OUR OWN CULTURE. >> I WANT TO THROW THIS OUT
THERE. A LOT OF TIMES WHEN PEOPLE
ARE SPEAKING ABOUT NATIVE EDUCATION THROUGHOUT
HISTORY, THIS WORD GUILT COMES UP.
IT MIGHT FEEL FOREIGN, OR MAYBE YOU'RE SHAKING YOUR
HEAD AND SAYING, YES, I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
AT ONE TIME, PEOPLE FELT GUILTY BECAUSE THEY SENT
THEIR CHILDREN OFF TO SCHOOL, AND NOW WE HEAR
REPORTS OF THOSE TIMES, OF BOARDING SCHOOLS.
BUT THEN YOU GO INTO ANOTHER GENERATION WHERE THEY TALK
ABOUT GUILT BECAUSE THEY WENT TO SCHOOL AND LEFT THE
FARM, OR LEFT THE FAMILY AT HOME TO SURVIVE.
AND SO I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW IF THAT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
GUILT AND EDUCATION STILL PLAYS OUT IN YOUR
GENERATION, BUT HOW IT'S DIFFERENT.
>> I THINK IT'S DIFFERENT BECAUSE NOW THE GUILT IS
LIKE DROPPING OUT. MORE IT'S JUST LIKE, YOU
DON'T WANT TO BECAUSE YOU FEEL GUILTY THAT LIKE YOUR
PARENTS, OR SOMEONE WHO HAS GRADUATED, HAS TOLD YOU SO
MUCH ABOUT HOW EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT.
LIKE MY GRANDPA, HE TELLS ME EVERY DAY BEFORE I GO TO
SCHOOL, OR WHEN I COME HOME, DID YOU LEARN?
WHAT DID YOU LEARN? YOU NEED TO LEARN, BECAUSE
THAT'S SOMETHING, THAT KNOWLEDGE, THAT SOMEBODY
CAN'T TAKE AWAY FROM YOU. THEY CAN TAKE EVERYTHING
ELSE, BUT THAT KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU GAINED IS YOURS.
AND SO I THINK -- BECAUSE AT A TIME, I FELT GUILTY
BECAUSE I THOUGHT ABOUT DROPPING OUT.
AND THERE WAS A TIME, PROBABLY MY HIGH SCHOOL
YEAR, WHERE I WAS LIKE, I CAN'T DO THIS.
THE SCHOOLWORK IS TOO HARD. IT'S NOT FOR ME.
I CAN'T GO ON. BUT THEN, I DIDN'T WANT TO
TELL ANYONE, BECAUSE I KNEW THEY WOULD BE LIKE, WELL,
WHY? WHY DON'T YOU?
OR THEY WOULD GET AFTER ME. SO FINALLY I KIND OF GOT
AFTER MYSELF AND TOLD MYSELF THAT, NO, IF YOUR MOM, IF
YOUR AUNTIES, IF YOUR COUSINS CAN ALL GRADUATE
FROM HIGH SCHOOL, THEN SO CAN YOU.
AT LEAST GET THAT FAR, AND THEN IF YOU WANT TO PUSH
YOURSELF TO GO TO COLLEGE. SO THAT GUILT KIND OF WENT
AWAY. >> NATHANIEL, I SEE YOU
SHAKING YOUR HEAD, TOO. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON
THIS? >> I WAS JUST THINKING,
LIKE SHE WAS SAYING, THE GUILT.
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PAST GUILT AND OUR CURRENT GUILT
IS THAT WE CAN ALWAYS GO BACK, WE CAN ALWAYS GO BACK
HOME, AND WE CAN GO TO SCHOOL THERE.
OR WE CAN STAY HERE AND LEARN A DIFFERENT THING.
BACK THEN, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN AFRAID TO GO BACK HOME
BECAUSE MAYBE THEY WOULD HAVE CHOPPED OFF YOUR HAIR,
YOU WOULD HAVE LOOKED DIFFERENT, YOU WOULD HAVE
TALKED DIFFERENT, YOU WOULDN'T KNOW YOUR LANGUAGE
ANYMORE. BUT HERE, LIKE AT MY SCHOOL,
THEY TEACH US LANGUAGE. SO I THINK, NOW, THAT IT'S
OKAY TO GO BACK. >> TEACHERS, I'M SURE, ARE
ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE
SHOWING UP, OR THAT YOU ARE ENGAGED, AND THEY HAVE THEIR
IDEAS OF IT. EDUCATORS HAVE THEIR IDEAS
OF IT. BUT WHAT IS THE REALITY?
WHAT REALLY KEEPS YOU ENGAGED AND COMMITTED TO
YOUR EDUCATION? >> MY PARENTS ARE A MAJOR
ROLE IN MY EDUCATION. THEY'RE THE ONES THAT PUSHED
ME TO STAY IN SCHOOL, TO GET MY EDUCATION.
I ALSO HAVE THAT SELF-DISCIPLINE, AND I
BELIEVE I GAINED THAT FROM MY MOM.
I HAVE A BIOLOGICAL FATHER THAT LEFT US WHEN I WAS
LITTLE, AND MY MOTHER WAS IN SCHOOL AT THE TIME.
SHE WAS IN SCHOOL TO BECOME A TEACHER.
AND SO ALL MY LIFE I WAS BROUGHT UP WITH HER GOING TO
CLASS, GOING TO CLASS WITH HER, SLEEPING IN THE CAR
WHILE SHE WAS IN CLASS, STAYING WITH MY GRANDMA.
AND I BELIEVE THAT IF MY MOM COULD GET THROUGH THOSE HARD
TIMES, THEN SO CAN I, AND THAT'S WHERE I'VE GAINED
THAT SELF-DISCIPLINE. >> JUST THINKING ABOUT HOW
MY MOM HAS BEEN MAKING IT THROUGH.
LIKE MY DAD WAS OFF AND ON IN OUR LIVES BECAUSE OF THE
REZ, OF COURSE. LIKE WHAT JAMIE SAID,
THERE'S DRINKING AND THERE'S DRUGS.
IT'S JUST LIKE A CYCLE. HE WAS IN AND OUT OF OUR
LIVES. AND MY MOM, SHE'S BEEN AN HR
GENERALIST, AND JUST SEEING HER AND HOW SHE MADE IT
THROUGH LIFE, AND HOW WE WENT THROUGH OUR STRUGGLES
AND OUR UPS AND DOWNS, SHE REALLY HELPED ME STAY
COMMITTED TO SCHOOL. AND WHEN SHE WAS WORKING AT
CNM, I REMEMBER GOING TO HER CONFERENCES AND ALWAYS BEING
THERE, AND IT'S INTERESTING HOW THE WORLD WORKS AND HOW
AN EDUCATION CAN GET YOU FAR IN LIFE.
>> WHAT KEEPS YOU ENGAGED? >> MY PARENTS HAVE BEEN THE
BIGGEST SUPPORTERS IN MY LIFE.
BOTH OF THEM HAVE SET AN AMAZING EXAMPLE FOR ME,
BECAUSE THEY BOTH ATTENDED COLLEGE.
AND GROWING UP, THEY STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF
SCHOOL, AND TOLD ME THAT I CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING I WANT
IF I JUST SET MY MIND TO IT. I GREW UP HERE IN
ALBUQUERQUE, AND I DIDN'T GROW UP ON THE RESERVATION,
SO THEY STILL TRIED TO INSTILL THE CULTURE IN ME BY
TAKING ME BACK TO VISIT MY GRANDPARENTS EVERY -- ALMOST
EVERY WEEKEND AT THE TIME. AND IT JUST MADE ME REALIZE
HOW PROUD IT WAS TO BE WHO I AM, BECAUSE I HAVE A
CULTURE. >> I HAVE ONE CLOSING
QUESTION FOR YOU. DO YOU EVER FEEL THAT
EDUCATION IS KIND OF A BALLOON THAT'S ONLY BEING
BLOWN UP TO THE HIGH SCHOOL POINT?
DO YOU EVER FEEL THAT YOU'RE EXPECTED TO GET TO HIGH
SCHOOL, AND THEN THE FANFARE IS GONE, OR NOBODY IS
LOOKING FOR YOU TO GO TO COLLEGE?
>> AT NACA, NOT ONLY THE TEACHERS THERE, BUT THE
PEERS, OR JUST THE FACULTY, THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOUR
FUTURE PLANS ARE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.
AND THEY ASK YOU EVERY SO OFTEN, SOMETIMES IN THE
MORNINGS, TOO, WHERE DID YOU APPLY TODAY?
OR, WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO? SO I THINK THAT REALLY
PUSHED SOME OF THE STUDENTS THERE TO REALLY THINK ABOUT
WHERE THEY WANT TO GO AFTER HIGH SCHOOL TO PURSUE THEIR
DREAMS TO GO ONTO COLLEGE. SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY
HELPED A LOT OF STUDENTS THERE TO REALLY THINK ABOUT
THE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL. >> THEY REALLY ENCOURAGE
YOU TO LOOK PAST HIGH SCHOOL AND TO SEE FUTURE CAREERS,
AND WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW SO THAT THAT'S TANGIBLE IN THE
FUTURE. SO LIKE RIGHT NOW, I'M
WORKING WITH MUSIC. I'VE DONE SOME INTERNSHIPS
WITH MY MUSIC TEACHER. HE'S BEEN TEACHING ME ALL
KINDS OF STUFF SO I KNOW HOW TO DO THINGS, LIKE SET UP
SHOWS. YOU KNOW, TEACH PEOPLE,
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO DO IN THE FUTURE, TO
BECOME A TEACHER AND TEACH MUSIC AND TEACH ARTS.
BECAUSE I'M REALLY INTO ARTS AND STUFF.
SO IN DOING THAT, EVEN AROUND SCHOOL, HE STILL
COMES AROUND AND IS LIKE, HEY, HAVE YOU LEARNED
ANYTHING NEW? OR HE ASKS ME, LIKE, TO
TEACH SOMEBODY LIKE A SONG, WHATEVER THEY'RE LEARNING.
SO EVEN THEN. AND AROUND IN OTHER CLASSES,
THEY ENCOURAGE YOU EVERY DAY. REALLY, I THINK IT'S
THE ENCOURAGEMENT, BECAUSE AT OUR SCHOOL IT'S MORE LIKE
THEY'RE NOT REALLY TEACHERS, THEY'RE LIKE OUR MOMS OR OUR
UNCLES, DADS, BROTHERS, SISTERS, PEERS.
IT'S REALLY A CONNECTED GROUP.
>> I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY LIKE ONE OF THE GOOD THINGS
ABOUT GOING TO A SMALLER SCHOOL, WHEREAS AT OUR
SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, SOME OF OUR TEACHERS DON'T REALLY
GET ENOUGH TIME TO REALLY GET TO KNOW ALL OF OUR
NAMES, OR REALLY GET TO TALK TO US.
AND LIKE YOUR ADVISOR YOU SEE LIKE TWICE A MONTH.
HIGH SCHOOL, HONESTLY, I DON'T LIKE IT A WHOLE LOT.
I MEAN, I'M JUST SAYING. I WENT TO A REALLY SMALL
SCHOOL FRESHMAN YEAR, AND NOW I'M GOING TO THIS HUGE
SCHOOL, AND I'M KIND OF LIKE, I DON'T WANT TO GO TO
HIGH SCHOOL. BUT THEN EVERYBODY IS LIKE,
NO, IT GETS BETTER IN COLLEGE.
DON'T DO ANYTHING. AND THAT'S PROBABLY LIKE ONE
OF THE THINGS -- IT'S ONLY TWO MORE YEARS, TWO MORE
YEARS, AND I'M LIKE, AND THEN I CAN DO SOMETHING
BIGGER WITH MY LIFE. AND I'M LIKE, THIS IS JUST
SOMETHING I HAVE TO GO THROUGH.
SO I THINK GOING TO A BIG SCHOOL REALLY DOESN'T --
IT'S REALLY HARD, ESPECIALLY TO FIND YOUR IDENTIFY.
AND DEALING WITH IT IS PROBABLY HAVING STUFF LIKE,
I'M IN THE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP COUNCIL, AND IT'S
GETTING TO KNOW PEOPLE, LIKE THESE KIDS OVER HERE, AND
TAMARA. >> I THINK ANOTHER
IMPORTANT THING IS TO STAY INVOLVED IN YOUR LOCAL
SCHOOL, BECAUSE I'M PRETTY SURE MOST SCHOOLS OFFER
CLUBS OR AFTER SCHOOL SPORTS, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT
I'VE DONE. I'VE REACHED OUT TO, LIKE,
DIFFERENT CLUBS, AND I'M INVOLVED IN LIKE SPORTS IN
MY SCHOOL, AND IT HELPED ME LEARN, OR LIKE MEET OTHER
PEOPLE THAT I HAD THINGS IN COMMON WITH, BECAUSE WE BOTH
JOINED THE SAME CLUB. AND I ALSO MET A TEACHER WHO
HAS INSPIRED ME TO LIKE DO WHAT I ENJOY, WHICH IS
TEACHING, BECAUSE I JOINED ONE OF HER CLUBS.
SO THAT'S ALSO AN IMPORTANT THING TO DO.
IF YOU ARE FEELING LOST IN SCHOOL, THEN JUST TO JOIN
CLUBS THAT YOU THINK ARE INTERESTING.
>> BEFORE I WENT TO ALBUQUERQUE HIGH THIS YEAR,
I WENT TO SANTA FE INDIAN SCHOOL, AND I KNOW WHAT YOU
GUYS MEAN. LIKE WHEN YOU WENT TO A
SMALLER SCHOOL, YOU HAD THAT COMMUNITY BASE, FEELING LIKE
YOU GUYS ARE ALL FAMILY, AND YOU KNOW EACH OTHER, YOU
KNOW WHO THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK IS.
COMING BACK INTO A SCHOOL THAT'S HUGE -- BECAUSE I HAD
PREVIOUSLY WENT TO ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
BEFORE I APPLIED TO SANTA FE INDIAN SCHOOL, AND I KNEW
SOME KIDS FROM BEFORE, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW EXACTLY LIKE HOW
THEY WERE ANYMORE, BECAUSE I HADN'T BEEN AROUND THEM FOR
FOUR YEARS. AND ONE OF THE WAYS THAT I
GOT LIKE ACQUAINTED THROUGH A BIGGER SCHOOL WAS THIS
BRANCHING OUT. LIKE I TOOK A CHANCE ON
GOING TO THE NATIVE AMERICAN CLUB, AND I MET DIFFERENT
PEOPLE THAT I REALLY DO KNOW, AND IT ACTUALLY HELPED
ME LIKE STAY AT THAT SCHOOL, BECAUSE I DIDN'T FEEL SO
ALONE AND I DIDN'T FEEL REALLY PRESSURED THAT I
NEEDED TO GET OUT THERE AND BE MISS POPULAR, BUT JUST TO
BE THERE. >> WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU'RE
THE ONLY ONE LOOKING BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL?
BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF STUDENTS THAT DON'T HAVE
THESE PROGRAMS, AND THIS MAY BE THE WHOLE REASON THEY DO
DROP OUT, IS THAT THERE'S AN END AND NOBODY ELSE WANTS
THEM TO GO THAT NEXT LEVEL. >> I HAVE A COUPLE OF
FRIENDS WHO I MET IN MY SUMMER PROGRAM, AND WHEN
THEY GO HOME, IT'S LIKE THEY'RE THE ONLY ONE IN
THEIR HIGH SCHOOL WHO CARES MORE ABOUT WHAT'S BEYOND
HIGH SCHOOL. AND FOR THEM, AND WHAT I
THINK ABOUT IT PERSONALLY, IS THAT IT SUCKS.
WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO DO IS, YOU NEED TO DIG DEEP AND
YOU NEED TO PUSH THROUGH. AND IT'S ALL ABOUT YOUR OWN
PERSONAL -- IT'S JUST PERSONAL PREFERENCE.
IT'S WHAT YOU STRIVE TO BE. IT HAS TO COME FROM YOU,
FROM NOBODY ELSE. >> WELL, I APPRECIATE
EVERYBODY SHARING THEIR VIEWPOINTS AND GETTING TO
KNOW EACH OTHER A LITTLE BETTER, AS WE ALL THINK
ABOUT EDUCATION TOGETHER. SO I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU
ALL FOR COMING HERE, AND SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS, AND
BEING CANDID, AND BEING ON TV.
(LAUGHTER) >> WHOO!
>> WE'RE BACK NEXT WEEK. IN THE MEANTIME, FIND US ON
FACEBOOK OR FOLLOW US ON TWITTER FOR THE DISCUSSIONS
WE ALWAYS HAVE ABOUT PUBLIC POLICY AND POLITICAL NEWS.
THANKS FOR JOINING US. I'M GENE GRANT.
WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK InFOCUS.