A Student’s Journey
Our Vision
A Student’s Journey (ASJ) Program is actively addressing the academic transfer barriers for Tribal College students interested in enrolling at 4-year universities. ASJ is creating equitable transfer pathways using an environmental health and social justice lens. Using an experiential learning design, this 5-week summer program pairs students with University of Arizona faculty and staff mentors based on their academic and career interests. This approach allows students to gain real-world work experience and fosters a sense of community and belonging on campus. In collaboration with the Native FEWS Alliance, ASJ is actively expanding its relationships with Tribal Colleges.
The Team
Mayra Vargas: Associate Director, Community Engagement Core/Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center
Ben Richmond: Manager of Undergraduate Education Initiatives/Division of Undergraduate Education, Office of the Provost
Jordania Livingston: Program Coordinator/Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center
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- August 2nd – University of Arizona – 2024 Student Showcase The Student Showcase is the culminating event for participants in the 2024 program, offering students the opportunity to present their summer experiences working with faculty and staff mentors. During this in-person event at the University of Arizona campus, students will share their stories and highlight the projects they worked on, including the research posters they developed. For more information, contact Mayra Vargas at mayravargas@arizona.edu
Theresa Cypriano and Winona “Little Owl” Gayton reflect on their 2021 A Student’s Journey experience. Video Credit to Alejandro Higuera.
Notable Achievements
The A Student’s Journey Program (ASJ) has served 35 students from 10 different tribes since 2021. Of these 35 students, 18 still attend Tohono O’odham Community College (TOCC) or San Carlos Apache College (SCAC) and 15 have successfully transferred to a 4-year university. Of the 15 who have already transferred, 13 have transferred specifically to the University of Arizona (UA) with 12 of the 19 students still attending TOCC and SCAC indicating an intention to transfer to UA. This progress is especially significant when considering that when this project first began less than 3 students per year transferred from TOCC or SCAC to the University of Arizona.
ASJ has been able to collaborate with 40 UA Faculty and Staff and 20 different community partners to serve as mentors, advisors, and speakers. The ASJ program has had 14 different students present at national conferences about their experiences.