Five Native American nations were represented at the annual ASU Native American Day held Thursday on Hayden Lawn.
The event featured traditional Native American cooking, prayers, songs and illustrative story dances and tribal beauty queens, including Mary Hubble-Ansera, Miss Indian ASU.
Peterson Zah, former Navajo Nation president, said having the event on the ASU campus is multi-purposed. Not only does it expose the campus to Native American culture; it encourages Native Americans to set higher education goals.
"This is all promoted by the students and evidently they feel very strongly about it," Zah said. "It furthers our education possibilities and motivates Native Americans to accomplish more for their people."
Gerald Vandever, an ASU theater and arts sophomore and Navajo tribal member, said attending college and obtaining a degree is a chance to show leadership in a student's Native American community.
"We are here as ASU University students to show that you can go further," Vanderver said. "There are a lot of Native American students here that are pursuing their bachelor's or masters', others are pursuing their doctorates."
Native American students want their education to benefit their respective tribes. Mary Hubbell-Ansera, an ASU speech and hearing science senior will graduate in May with her bachelor's degree.
Hubbell-Ansera wants to attend graduate school in hopes of getting her master's in audiology so she can work with Navajo children.
"I want to take what I've learned back to the reservation to help children who have hearing disorders," Hubbell-Ansera said. "I hope to be able to work for Indian Health Services."
Vijaya Watson, an exercise and wellness senior at ASU East, is from the San Carlos Apache Nation and wants to address both social and health issues for Native Americans.
"That is the ultimate goal, I want to be a part of the tribal council," Watson said. "What I'd like to do is start an exercise and diabetes treatment program for the reservation."
Reach Victor Allen at victordallen@cs.com
