November Brings a Joyful Celebration of Native Tradition and Culture

Family connection is also very important to Ortiz-LaChappa. She talked about her two younger sisters, brother and cousins and how she often gathers them together to enjoy events and other adventures. “I say we’re going to go here; we’re going to go there, and you guys are going to dance and have fun and smile. I tell them this because these opportunities are good opportunities.”

A lesson she’s learned that she imparts to others, especially her younger mentees, is the importance of engaging in healthy risks. “We all know unhealthy risk—teen pregnancy, drug abuse, ditching or failing school,” Ortiz-LaChappa said. “But healthy risks to me are things that can only bring you education, opportunity and experience. You may not do it right… it may be a long journey, but it’s going to bring you something.”

Ortiz-LaChappa earned an associate’s degree from Haskell Indian Nations University, one of 32 tribal colleges/universities in the nation, and aspires to attend a four-year university next—with UC San Diego on her list of possibilities. She lauded the campus’s efforts to create community, “I’m really proud of the work of the Intertribal Resource Center because they are creating a safe space. The UC system is filled with thousands of people, yet our Native peoples within the UCs are only hundreds.”

2022 Outstanding Native Triton

There was a certificate and gift card presented, but UC San Diego’s Outstanding Native Triton Alex Zhao was also recognized with something truly unique—a vibrant blanket from Eighth Generation, a Native-owned business that produces authentic artworks.

Zhao, a member of the Navajo Nation, is a second-year political science doctoral student at UC San Diego. Scholars are selected for the honor by demonstrating leadership and commitment to the Native American community at the university. “We appreciate his commitment to community and his leadership style that demonstrates a humility and a sense of pride in our collective efforts,” said Intertribal Resource Center Director Elena Hood, a UC San Diego doctoral alumna. “We at the Intertribal Resource Center and other Native Tritons know that he will continue to do great things for all of us in Indian Country.”