2016
Bridges
I have many people who influence my life, however my parents are the biggest influence in my life because they are the ones who raised and supported me every since I was born. Through their love, teachings, and encouragements; they have built the person that I am today. Most of their teachings are about living through Christ, teachings that they were taught as a child and their experiences in life. I come from a Christian family. My uncle, father’s older brother, is a pastor at Ya’a’ii’t’iin Fellowship Church, that I attend. What my uncle teaches at church are similar to my father’s teachings. My father always tells my siblings and I to have faith in God, love one another, and to pray for forgiveness. This has impacted me because whenever I feel discouraged my father tells me to pray about the things that I am struggling with and to put it in God’s hands. Just like the past week, I was struggling with understanding the results and conclusion of my research project. I felt stressed that I wasn’t going to complete my project on time resulting me to feel like I just wanted to avoid it. However, I prayed and this week it seems like everything's coming together. Just like that I was able to be at peace and overcome it. Sure enough like my father and uncle said, God is by my side guiding me every step of the way.
The teachings that my parents were taught were influencial to me because I have learn to value the things that my grandparents value. My parents teachings also include examples of how they resolved difficult situations in their life. Their experiecences such as... To be honest, I wouldn’t know what career I would pursue in ten years because for now I am settling with the idea of being a registered nurse. But then, I might want to futher that to lets say a masters degree or a doctorate. I just don’t know what my next approach would be. I am also interested in the lab work that I am doing for this summer, so I could minor in genetics. For sure, I would stay near my family and the maximum distance I would be from them is about..
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Like most Navajo students, my parents were both raised living on the Navajo reservation. They were taught that without hard work, nothing comes easily. They were taught to wake up early, clean the house, tend to their livestock, and to herd sheep. My mother, at a young age, being the youngest of her siblings and the only child living with my grandmother, she learned many skills. Skills such as making Navajo food, how to butcher, sheer sheep, weave a rug, make pottery, and so on. Their lifestyle than is different compared to today’s generation. For an example, they lacked things that most young adults consider necessary in their lives, such as, electricity, running water, a vehicle, cell phone, television, internet, fashionable clothing, and the latest technology. With that in mind, I have learned to appreciate things that I have that wasn’t as convenient as to my parent at my age.
The teachings that my parents teach my siblings and I are inherited from my great grandparents. My parents who were raised as Christians also teach my siblings and I to love others, be faithful, respectful, and humble. For me, I see that no one is perfect and that life is all about making mistakes. No matter who you are, making mistakes are bound to occur. That’s the reason why judging others seems useless to me. My thoughts are to simply accept others for who they truly are. In my family, education is another value asset because neither of my parents have earned a bachelor degree. Since my grandparents had never attended school, my parents were not given as much guidance that they now give me. My maternal grandmother who only speaks and understands the Navajo language, now understands the importance of education. When she was my age, she was never told to attend school but to herd sheep. That is how she made a living; by tending to her livestock. In today’s generation, having an education, allows you to have a good high paying job that requires less labor. Therefore, I do not want to struggle with not having money to support myself, so that’s why I am willing to continue my education. My desire of wanting to give back to my community is influenced by wanting to make a difference in the Navajo Nation. I want to be able to provide for my family and not just leave them once I have earn my bachelor degree. Most importantly, I would like to be a role model to the young Navajo students who are still deciding what to pursue in their future career. If all of us Navajo students continue on to college, graduate, return home to the reservation, and work there; that would be amazing. To return either as a doctor, lawyer, police officer, supervisor, engineer, scientist, and so on; I feel that we could improve the Navajo Nation. If I weren’t in the Bridges program this summer I would be working either at Ken’s Tours, Shonto Chapter House, or at a clinic somewhere on the Navajo Reservation. Last semester, I planned to participate in this program during Summer 2016, to learn how to conduct research, earn college credits and money. Regardless of whether or not I was accepted into this program, I was still planning on working to earn money for this coming fall semester since I struggled financially while attending school last spring semester.
Last summer I worked at Ken’s Tours, a touring company at Lower Antelope Canyon located near Page, AZ. It was my first actual working experience and I enjoyed working as a gift shop attendant. The neat thing about it was that I began working there in a new building and had the experience of what it was like to start up a business, specifically a gift shop. Before there was a building, there was only a shack outside that was for signing up tourists to hike the slot canyon and was also a waiting area. This meant that both the tourists and workers had to wait in the heat until their tour time was called. I am thankful that I did not have to experience working in that kind of environment, but instead inside where there was an air conditioner. In the end, working there I have learned how to keep inventory, organize items, work with the register, and communicate with customers, including non-English speaking customers. So for this summer, I wouldn’t mind having to work there again. Another place that I considered working at was Shonto Chapter House along with my little sister. Shonto Chapter House is a tribal chapter house that hold meetings regarding to the community. During the summer they usually hire students to work doing numerous jobs both indoors and outdoors. Jobs such as office work including, shredding and organizing papers; cleaning restrooms, offices, and conference rooms, as well as yard work. Since, I was wanting to explore new things, I thought that this could also be another option. Then, I also thought of working as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) either at Inscription House Clinic or Lechee Clinic. In order to keep my certification that I received in March, I am required to work a certain amount of hours. So far, I have not worked as a CNA yet. Working during the school year was not an option for me because I do not want to deal with having a hectic working schedule. Since I haven’t been able to work, I thought that this summer would be an excellent time to log the hours I need. Since my Freshman year of high school I have been keeping myself occupied during the summers by attending summer school at Southern Utah University through a program called Upward Bound. Upward Bound is a TRiO program that helps guide high school students to attending a university. The summer school with Upward Bound was designed to allow the students to experience college life while also living in the university dorms. They also assigned the students to a job site and paid them weekly. Being a part of this program for three years, I have earned college credits and understood what was expected of a college student. After I graduated high school, I began working and now I am participating in the Bridges program. I enjoy learning new things that can contribute to my future career and doing so during the summer time is excellent and a great advantage. The most challenging aspect of attending college is the cost and prioritizing your time. In high school, I was accepted to attend my first college of choice, Northern Arizona University. However with the scholarships that I was awarded, I did not have enough money to attend even one semester. So I ended up attending Coconino Community College (CCC) in Page, AZ for the fall semester. During my fall semester, I did not have to worry about where to stay or not having enough money, because I continued living at my house in Inscription House, AZ. Inscription House is located on the Navajo Reservation and it is two hours south from Page, AZ. So I basically travelled to Page like I did throughout my school years before, except for the fact that I was no longer riding the bus. During my spring semester is when I actually had to worry finding a place to stay and my finances. I stayed at a hotel for three days a week, which was much cheaper than renting an apartment. The scholarship that I received for the spring only lasted until the last few months of the semester. Overall, I had to budget my money. It was helpful when my brother worked during the weekends and I occasionally did too. Another thing that I thought was challenging was having to prioritize the time that I spent working on my homework for each of my classes. Taking Statistics, Philosophy, Creative Nonfiction Writing, and Colorado Plateau Overview does not seem to be an overload. But all the difficult homework that I was assigned from my statistics class and having to do all my calculations from a software called ‘R’, took most of my time. The R software is used to create different types of charts, graphs, and solve equations; which was more difficult than just simply handwriting it. The challenging thing about ‘R’, is that it required a specific wording for all the commands that you make. Commands meaning what you want the software to calculate. Just one mistake of a character meant that you would have to start all over. In order to earn good grades, I went to weekly tutoring sessions to better understand what I was trying to achieve with each lesson I was taught. My tutor understood the content of the class however, he never learned what the R software was, so I had to learn it myself. I mostly took notes on how to do each command in class, reviewed the notes that were offered online, and I would also ask my teacher for additional help. Overall, I am so thankful that I am now working in Dr. Wilder’s lab. Choosing between this program and working, I chose this program without any doubts because I wanted to learn more about science research. Attending college definitely comes with challenging aspects and I overcame my challenges by receiving help from others. With the TRiO program that I participated in at CCC, I was able to work with a tutor and attend several workshops. This type of guidance, is available to all students at CCC and is very beneficial. My research is to focus on the genetic differences between ethnic groups specifically, to study, mircroRNA-27, to understand specific disparities at a genetic level. Disparities are the differences in prostate cancer risk or outcome between a group of people. The disparities could be caused by culture diet, lifestyle, and/or the distance from the nearest hospital. Knowing about these disparities helps to understand the progression and treatment of prostate cancer. I will be testing Native American DNA and possibly Hispanic DNA that has been affected with prostate cancer. So far, all I know about microRNA-27 is that it is a RNA molecule that acts as a switch that has the ability to either promote or inhibit prostate cancer.
In the beginning of my internship, my mentor Dr. Wilder assigned me to work with Kristi, a graduate student, who has taught me how to perform various testings and the purpose for each of them. It seems as if I was her first internee who she taught because she frequently asked if her instructions were clear. Not that I don’t like her questioning, I just find it amazing how great of a teacher she is. She is nice and cares that I get enough exposure working with a variety of lab equipment that will be used for my research.
There are six lab students that I work in Dr. Wilder’s lab. The students are all nice and mindful that I am an intern who hardly has any experience working with DNA. I enjoy working with them because they are willing to not only help me but also each other since we are all doing similar testings. The only difference is that we are given different genes to work with. Right now Amber and I are helping Angelique complete her research. We are both given a region of a gene to work with. It is reassuring to know that their is always help that can be provided if Dr. Wilder is unavailable.
During the week, once I am done working at the lab I usually return to my apartment and eat dinner. I make sure to eat three times a day and drink plenty of water throughout the day. Not eating and not staying hydrated would not benefit my health. I find it important to eat, that way you are able to function and think clearly. I also make sure to cook dinner, rather than warm up pizza bagels. Mmm.. pizza bagels are really good, but not a good idea to eat consecutive nights. Living on my own, I thought now I can buy myself pizza bagels, something that I hardly eat. However, it only lasted for the first week. I keep myself occupied with reading, browsing through the internet, and watching some Korean Drama. Korean Drama (a.k.a. Kdrama) is basically tv shows that are filmed in Korean that is similar to a ‘chick flick.’ When it comes to being active, I hardly go to the fitness center. But when I do go, I like to begin my workout with the elliptical and then lift weights. I would focus on lifting weights that strengthens my arms and legs. Before I sleep, I make sure to set my alarm otherwise I would be late. So far, I don’t think that I was more than 10 minutes late for class and I have been completing enough hours of work each week. I am familiar with the main part of Flagstaff. I was born here, lived here until I was two years old, and I completed my last semester of college here, so I know how to make my way around town. However, there are places that I haven’t explored. So far, I have visited two restaurants, which are Nadli Korean BBQ Cuisine and Grimaldi’s Pizza which I never visited before. Other than that last weekend, I enjoyed watching Finding Dory, The Shallows, and Independence Day. On saturday, my parents let my younger brother stay with me, while they traveled to Phoenix. My younger brother, Caleb, choose to stay with me because he dislikes travelling, especially in the extreme temperature. I enjoyed watching Jurassic World, and shopping at Barnes and Noble with him. Seeing my parents and younger siblings as they drop off and picked up Caleb was comforting. We mainly hugged and chatted for a while. Sunday was when I ate at Grimaldi’s Pizza with my friend and her family. Overall, it is nearly halfway through the program now and I am enjoying my lab with Dr. Wilder as my mentor. I can’t believe how fast these past four weeks have gone by. Caleb and I
Hello my name is Joshelle Tsinnijinnie. I am a member of the Navajo Nation, from Inscription House, AZ. Shí eí Kinłichíi’nii nishłį́, dóó Táchii’nii báshíshchiin. Bit’ahnii dashíchei dóó Tábąąhá eí dashínáłí. I am a student at Coconino Community College, here in Flagstaff, AZ. My major is in Nursing and I am studying to become a registered nurse. My interest in nursing began in high school when I took several nursing classes. In these classes I enjoyed learning about the human body and practicing “skills” necessary for CNA clinicals. Theses “skills” are understood as helping a patient with daily activities that they are unable to do themselves. I graduated from Page High School in 2015. I am the second oldest out of five siblings. I enjoy hiking, watching movies, and occasionally I like to read fiction novels. This is my first time that I have written a blog using Weebly and I got to say it was difficult to navigate through so many tool options.
The first time I heard about the NAU Summer Bridges Program was in a meeting with my TRiO adviser, Paula. She was well aware of my interest in the medical field and encouraged me to apply. My initial thought was that it's a great program to participate in, but I wasn't sure if I had enough experience in conducting health research. However, Paula assured me that this program is designed to give Native American students an opportunity to learn how to conduct health research. I am glad I joined the program because it didn't matter that I hadn’t done much health research, now I am getting the exposure to the field I hope to work in. So far, I like how much exposure I am getting in health research. Through this program, I got the opportunity to attend a conference. I was excited to attend the Native Research Network conference that was held at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee, North Carolina. I got to fly on an airplane for the first time and viewed many research studies. My favorite presentation was about how cases of diabetes lessen with the help of prevention programs implemented in Indian healthcare. Ann Bullock, the presenter, also mentioned the cause of the increasing cases of diabetes. Which was due to the stress and trauma that the Native American tribes had to endure, such as the Trail of Tears, the Long Walk, and being sent to dormitory school. I also find it interesting how other tribes besides the Navajo Nation are also experiencing a rise in cases of diabetes. This is a major concern on the Navajo Nation and I find it reassuring to see this type of progression occur throughout the United States. Along with conference we were given the option to tour Cherokee’s new hospital facility. The hospital had a unique set up of how their patients are seen. Instead of having to follow the system of having to wait to be called, check vital signs, and to have to wait again, you can immediately go directly to the facility that you need care in. This is unique because it allows the patient quicker access to the facility they need to be seen in. The following week I got to observe a student pipetting reagents into a master mix for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to occur. Before this program I never got the chance to learn how to pipet, in result I spent part of my first day in Dr. Wilder's lab practicing how to do so. My goal is to learn as much about the procedures of conducting a PCR, amplifying it, and other procedures that I have not yet experienced. I also want to see how these experiments impact the community. With the experiences and skills that I gain from this program, I hope to contribute back to my community and to improve the health of Navajos living on the reservation. |
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August 2016
End of the Summer Video |