Elka’s Pitzer Native Pipeline to College Experience 2012

 

Table of Contents

About me………………………………………………………………………………..……Pg. 4 (About my tribe, my first journaling) Health Science /Thoughts on College…………………………………………………Pg. 4 (Western, Lab exercises, College research, essay) Native Culture/ Thoughts on College. …………………………………………………. Pg. 5 (Visiting speakers, native traditions) Health Career Choices………………………………………………………………....Pg. 6 & 7 Connections…………………………………………………………………………………Pg. 5 (New friends, mentors, speakers, schools) Why I am here………………………………………………………………………………Pg. 6 (Why I came, the impact the program had on me)

" I'm no t a f ra id t o s p eak u p , and a l o t o f o u r p e o p l e a r e s hy . They wan t ed s omeone t o s p eak u p f o r t h em, t o s p eak u p f o r t h em and do f o r t h em, and I t h ough t I wa s a good p e r s on f o r t h e j o b . ” -Mary Belardo    

About Me Miyaxwen,  my  name  is  Elka  Medina.  I  m  a  desert  Cahuilla  Indian  and  I  

come  from  the  Torres  Martinez  reservation  in  Thermal,  California.  I  love  baking  and  MMA.  When  it  comes  to  these  to  things,  if  I  am  participating  in  something  related  to  it  I  am  completely  engaged  and  focused.  It’s  hard  to  criticize  me  or  distract  me  when  it  comes  to  these  two  things.  They  are  things  that  I  can  honestly  say  that  I’m  good  at  and  I  have  a  passion  for.  I  am  constantly  trying  to  

improve  my  performance.  I  watch  TV  shows,  read  books,  and    ask  questions  in  order  to  be  the  best  at  what  I  love  to  do.    

Health  Science  At  the  moment  I  am  interested  in  pursuing  a  career  in  medicine.  For  now,  I  am  going  to  school  to  study  pediatric  nursing  and  mental  health.  In  the  future,  I  hope  to  be  a  doctor  involved  in  the  same  things  and  perhaps  some  sort  of  physical  therapy.  I  have  learned  that  sometimes,  it  is  okay  to  be  uncertain  and  everything  will  work  out  for  the  best  in  the  end.    See?    Don’t  I  look  like  a  pretty  great  doctor  already?  

                                                               

   

 Native  Culture/Thoughts  on  College  

For as long as I can remember, I always knew where I came from and because of that I am fortunate enough to say that I am a young Cahuilla woman residing on the original land of my peoples on the Torres Martinez reservation. I grew up with a sense of respect and caring nature for everyone around me and also a sense of right from wrong that I believe came from being with my family. Together, we practice the traditional ways of my tribe such as bird dancing that continues to keep the culture alive.

A big part of my life, that has lasted with me for the longest, since childhood, has been social justice and activism. As history shows it, mankind has not shown indigenous peoples a helping hand. Even today in the modern world, there are still lands of Native people being taken over and destroyed by the nation’s governing officials. I grew up with a family whose ideas revolved around the progression of Natives and as a result, I too have inherited that state of mind where it is a necessity to question everything, read through every document, be educated, and know your every right in order to not be left in the dust. My very distant goal that I plan to complete in my lifetime is to become a chairwoman for my tribe and create a voice for all Natives. The government and many other sorts of officials in the United States have done a really thorough job of making sure Natives are oppressed and unable to move forward. There are many people that are in positions of power within the Native community who are not doing their part to helping us grow. This frustrates me because I have a passion to aid my people and make them stronger and I know that if I do what I can to get educated, I can help us prosper. My life thus far has leaded me in many directions. Aside from my career paths, my ultimate goal is to do good by the many beings and occurrences on the Earth. Everything I do to contribute to wellness counts, and I don’t do what I believe is good to get a reward; I do it because it makes me feel whole to do the right thing. I want to do my part whether it seems significant or insignificant. I know I am ambitious and I can accomplish many things.

 

 

 

Health  Career  Choices   The cadaver lab at Western confirmed my interests in the medical field. For a second I was questioning if nursing was where I belonged but now I know it’s not. I think I want to be a doctor. One of the med students pointed out my interest in the movement and muscles of the amputated leg and suggested physical therapy. I liked that idea; I can add it to the many other things I hope to study. Maybe it isn’t the end of the world if I have to specialize in something. Maybe it is possible that I can do more than one thing. And maybe one day I won’t be so afraid of choosing one thing, maybe when I start studying medicine I’ll find my place.  

 

Connections  I made a lot of new friends at this program and I was really glad to get to know everyone. The connection we all have together through our cultures is great and I hope we all continue to have pride in tribes and learn more about them. I hope we all keep in touch in the future and some sort of reunion and have more dances!! Fabian sucked at ninja. Manny kicked their booties. Ashley helped Manny and danced really well! So did Jane and Luna and Jared who always danced no matter where we were. And of course my lovey doves Amber and my roomie CRIIIIIISta.