Tótsonii nisłį´ Hawaiian bá shíchíín. Hask’ąą hadzohí éí dashícheii dóó Hawaiian éí dashinálí.
I am Navajo and Native Hawaiian — two cultures defined by their advocacy and resilience. They fight for their responsibility for the land. This value deeply shapes my identity and my career goals.
My high school, Navajo Preparatory School, has guided me with Indigenous teachings toward my newfound goals. Because of it being a college prep school, there were many experiences that helped visualize your future academic identity. Exploring this early into my academic journey was insightful because it prepared me for vast scholastic decisions. I knew that I had a strong foundation for astrochemical and pharmaceutical research, as well as public service.
My own academic journey hasn’t been simple and straightforward. At first, I blended into the background of a quiet melody in a complex song. Grades were not the priority and it showed. I couldn’t say exactly what switched but something did during my sophomore year. Grades then became something at the top of my checklist. Then again something switched. In junior and senior year, grades were no longer the priority but truly understanding the content was. I partially credit my chemistry teacher, Ms. Flores, because of her indescribable teaching ability. She went above and beyond as a teacher, sending me scholarship opportunities and assisting me in my science fair research and presentations. She was the biggest inspiration I had at school; she was a mentor, she was a teacher, she was a friend, she guided me to success.
Apart from my school interests, the focus of my academic enthusiasm was neuroscience. This stems from my mom, a pharmacist, and my dad, a counselor. My mom has always supported me, and when I would talk to her about chemistry or biology, she would understand and add to my knowledge. My dad is the same way where we would have psychological or philosophical discussions. For me, those two aspects combine into neuroscience, the answer to how our brain impacts emotion, decision-making, and consciousness. The passions of my family also make up my identity.
Recently, I won a Native American Heritage Award for my research project at NAISEF (the National American Indian Science and Engineering Fair). My project analyzed different brands of aspirin and the acetylsalicylic acid concentration of each brand. Conclusions of my research can be reached by weighing tablets of aspirin and comparing it to the label. Doing this you can find that the label is almost never right (+/-35.7 percent). I wanted to advocate for people to be more mindful about the medications they take, instead of taking multiple doses or mixing medications. I didn’t think I would win anything, because everyone had impressive projects — but I was delighted to receive an award for my work.
Another way I’ve been practicing advocacy is by becoming one of the congressional debaters in New Mexico’s House of Representatives. I was on the debate team in high school, and in my senior year I participated in the congressional event. It was my third time doing the national qualifier event, and I wasn’t worried because I was focused on giving my speech and discussing my research. There were some strong contenders, and I hadn’t even prepared any speeches for the second round because I didn’t think I would make it that far. When I made it to the next round, I had to prepare more speeches in 30 minutes. My mom was there, and I felt relaxed and was able to perform well because I didn’t know the stakes at the time. I gave my speeches and I was one of the top four who made it to nationals. I couldn’t believe it.
Something that has highlighted my success was my talent for public speaking and social skills. Throughout high school I had the opportunity to do a lot of speeches, which led to making valuable connections. Many times, those connections will lead you to finding resources that become foundational for your journey. The harsh truth is that you need support to make your biggest goals a reality. You need someone who has faced similar challenges that can help you. There are so many resources out there that whatever you think is in your way, there’s someone who has been in the same situation.
Here at Stanford University, I plan to co-term, which means I get my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in a total of five years. I want to be an advocate so that I can help my community politically or with my research. But the future is still undecided; I’m still pondering the idea of medical school or something in policy.
In my personal opinion, you must find the things you love to do, and find the positives in the things you have to do. Education is so powerful. Be your own advocate. Get out there and put in the work so that you can see your dreams become a reality.
