Hello everyone! My name is Franchesca and I recently graduated from Pueblo High School and am now preparing to attend Smith College as a Neuroscience major.
I wanted to participate in LSWHTA for multiple reasons. One reason being to expand my interests beyond STEM.And, I wanted to learn more about the heritage of where I grew up my entire life. At the time of applying for this program I felt connected to my culture but years back I felt disconnected or indifferent to my Mexican heritage, and I thought that a cultural program would help me learn and connect even more with my culture, while also being able to explore archaeology.
Our first day of our long trip: Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well and what it portrays.
Their resiliency had me wondering how we are able to connect it back to my roots and the way in which my heritage has persevered, especially when it comes to migrating. The first picture is of my grandparents from my mother's side (My father's grandparents side is a little harder to gather information for). Both of them were born in Jalisco. My mom (the middle of the second picture) was born in Manzanillo, Colima, then migrated to Nogales, Sonora, and then finally the United States. The third picture is of my father and my older brother. My father is from Opodepe, Sonora. My father's side is a little difficult to explore.
Since coming to the US, my mom has persevered through troubles to give us the best life we could have as we faced socioeconomic barriers. She at one point in time had to take care of 4 children (all her's) with not being able to work and/or earn a livable wage when she did work. My mom's resilience and my siblings supporting me led to my desire to work hard in school and extracurriculars, and now I will be proud to be a FGLI Mexican-American going to Smith.
As Jason Nez had mentioned, he can connect with nature. It is also a way to zoom out of small focuses in archaeology and simply see the landscape where ancestral people were flourishing, and how it can feel like yesterday.
Considering it was my first time camping and exploring more national monuments outside of Tucson - I was extremely excited. In a way, I felt that I was able to appreciate nature more for what it has gracefully given us. It was also a reminder of the spaces that we occupied and who it really belongs to.
Setting up a 6 person tent together with the group and pretending to be trapped for Sara. Preparing for the Grand Canyon!
Gathering around a campfire to bond and Alicia reading scary stories, making Katie fall asleep with her voice.
Our camping ground and deers passing through it. I'm pretty sure that one was roaming around my tent the first night we slept.
Interpretations based on identities and values
What have I been able to learn?
I am happy to be able to say that I've been able to learn so much more about Indigenous people and their culture. I feel that education is really lacking in teaching who was originally here, and rather they sadly focus on who decided to come. Visiting these sites and listening to knowledgable people (especially Jason Nez) has made me once again emphasize that we do need a healthy level of skepticism when listening to interpretations. I'll be able to take these critical-thinking skills and apply them to educational journey and in social situations. I've also become more interested in the summer internships with the NPS, so I will look forward to applying! I am so glad I was able to learn more about the ancestral people who lived in the locations of National Parks and archaeology. This program is truly special.
Thank you to all the staff members for guiding us through this wonderful program! Sara, Barbara, Corey, Omar, Alba, Katie, Tony, and Stephen, thank you so much for investing your time into every cohort and this program!