I am currently attending The University of New Mexico where I will be starting my sophomore year of college this fall. I am studying Biology with a goal to attend the School of Physical Therapy. Thanks to Mentors I have successfully completed a summer of shadowing a local physical therapist. Mentors opened up a huge door to me into the physical therapy world. With their help I have been able to make strong connections with my mentor and I will be able to make more which will help me greatly when it comes time to applying to the School of Physical Therapy.

I am White Mountain Apache and once I graduate from the School of Physical Therapy I plan to return to my reservation and help my people. Since being introduced to mentoring I plan to incorporate that into my work. I desire to provide middle school, high school and even college students who return home for breaks, an opportunity into not only the Physical Therapy world, but the academic world as well. I want to inspire more of my people to finish high school, attend college and fulfill their life goals.

Over my spring break I was able to give back to my indigenous community when I traveled to the Havasupai Indian Reservation located in Grand Canyon Arizona. I spent a week camping out to help the community who, by the way, live at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. This trip is what sparked my interest into inspiring and promoting the younger generations of native communities to attend school and fulfill their dreams. Over the course of the week five others and I volunteered our time in local fields and crops, playing with the children in the community and learning more about their traditions and ways of life. I learned so much from that trip and I am very grateful I was given to opportunity to go.

In the upcoming fall semester I plan to mentor incoming freshmen. I am a huge supporter of mentoring and I want to be able to help those who are lost or new to the university. I have learned so much from just a couple of months of shadowing and I want to not only share that experience, but my overall college experience with fellow students.

Currently, I am making strides towards more independence, thanks to the financial assistance provided by the Mentors via a tuition scholarship. It is a powerful feeling that I do not need to turn to my parents with every expense I have. Mentors assistance has helped ease the burden of paying for school and has helped me focus more of my time on my classes, mentorships and volunteering opportunities for which I am very thankful.

Again, thank you Mentors Foundation for your support and every opportunity you have provided. You have inspired me and I will be forever appreciative of all that you are doing for me.