My name possesses history that would be unknown without explanation. “Avery Valencia” does not describe my Yaqui heritage, that I am a part of the Pueblo High School Community or my passion for pediatric neuroscience by simply looking at it.
The LSWHTA program has deepened my understanding of my past. As a Native American woman, my ancestry holds a multitude of historic events that became apparent when I joined LSWHTA. My goal was to learn about Native American culture to prevent erasure of it, an emphasized problem across the U.S. This program also allowed me to make new friends, which is one of the reasons I applied.
Little me has always been invested in her culture. I was making tortillas in Loma De Bácum, where my family descends, at the age of 7. As an active participant in my culture, my identity revolves around my Yaqui heritage. With family to teach me all about it, I am lucky to know my culture as well as it knows me.
A large part of my identity is also education. Ever since I was young, I always had a hunger for learning. Pursuing a career as a pediatric neurosurgeon and studying at an Ivy League nourishes this hunger. Because of LSWHTA, these goals of mine are more reachable. This is due to the repetition of commitment, socialization and erudition I have practiced while in this program.
This photo was taken at Casa Grande, Gila River Valley, where ancient residents used their resources to build such a breathtaking structure. Despite the mild conditions, warm climate and lack of resources, the people made use of assets like adobe mud brick to build the famous Casa Grande. Their resilience in times of stress deserves heavy emphasis; I know this because I have experienced this first hand. My life describes struggles like understanding the foster care system, losing a parent young and navigating mental health.. Despite my hardships, my Casa Grande was the maintenance of community service, extracurriculars and grades. I made use of resources like counselors, my tribe and my family as a support system. Because of my resilience, I was in alignment with my goals despite the odds being against me.
This squirrel posed for me and the others attending the LSWHTA program. It was only for a second that the squirrel modeled for us, but we were all amazed because it’s not typical of animals to do so. By the time I’m 18, I want to be this squirrel. It’s silly to think that something as silly as a rodent exemplified what I want to be but it’s true. As a low income, Mexican, Native American, woman with a deceased mother and mental health disorders, my chances of graduating high school are less than 40%. By graduating, I would surprise not only those who have doubted me but statistics, making me and the rodent alike.
Technology like spears and agriculture were used by Indigenous tribes, leading to innovation. These tools allowed for new ideas to surface in the modern world, like antibiotics, software and vaccines. Many do not understand the impact ancient technology had on modern ones, making our care for ancient technology minimized. With archaeology, we can better understand the ancient tech. used and how it impacts our modern world. Because of it’s affect on the modern world, it’s important to learn about how ancient civilizations were impacted by technology.
The preservation of Indigenous culture is extremely important to me and defines my identity. As a Yaqui woman, I know first-hand that our culture is dying. Not many people know our language and many aren’t interested in our traditional customs like flower making. After seeing it’s effects, preventing eradication of my culture is a task that I am devoted to. This is why I wanted to learn about other cultures so that no one is forgotten. LSWHTA has given me the opportunity to exercise this desire and that is what makes the program so meaningful to me.
Through the LSWHTA program, I have learned and strengthened multiple skills. Example of this would be with analysis, socialization, deeper thinking and historical learning. All of these are either personal or academic and will help me flourish in those areas of my life. Although these areas have strengthened my self-concept and will/ have been resourceful, I would say that learning about myself has been the most impacting in the program. I have learned what my academic areas of interest are like science, my future career path and the importance of what my past entails.