A memory not to be forgotten

The night Gabe, Joe, Daniel and I decided to have a 'staff bonding' dinner, we found ourselves indulging in sampler platters, sodas and burgers at Seau's Restaurant in Mission Valley after a long day at work. Winding down with some good laughs was just what we needed. Little did we know that we would have the pleasure to meet San Diego's own sports icon....Junior Seau. I can't remember a time seeing the boys so excited!

Hearing about the recent loss of the famous linebacker was a tragedy to sports fans, loyal Charger fans across the country and the community of San Diego, whom he made so very proud. Waking up Thursday morning and seeing his picture on the cover of the San Diego Union Tribune made the reports that much more real. It is an incredible loss.

Junior instantly graced us with the most polite mannerism not seen too often. He did not hesitate to pull a seat up at our table and talk to us about work and expressed interest in the work we did with the youth here at SDAIHYC. His optimism, firm handshakes, constant smile and words of advice along with his random jokes is a memory of Junior we are all blessed to have and will never forget.

On behalf of everyone here at the SDAIHYC, we want to send out our deepest condolences to Luisa Seau and the entire Seau family. Our prayers are with you always.

From San Diego to Bray, Letter 4

SDAIHYC meets Hi Rez...FINALLY!

Thank you to Daiz and all the awesome Junior Leaders, Senior Leaders and youth members for your wonderful hospitality!  Some pictures from my day in/to Bray can be found on our Photobucket here.  Our youth members enjoyed the Feadóg, book of Celtic designs, and the green sour balls (we'll show you in the next video)!  We hope one or all of you can make it to San Diego soon!

Dancing for His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Youth Members of the Soaring Eagles dance group represented our Urban Indian Community on Thursday, April 19th as they entertained the audience at the Viejas Arena, dancing before His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. The themes for discussion were upholding ethics, practicing forgiveness and tolerance and coping with the challenges of self centeredness in modern society.

Upcoming Events

Be sure to look at the Upcoming Event tab to see what events we have coming up! Tonight is Intergenerational Dinner at the Youth Center where we will have a mini talent show! Next Thursday, April 26th Community Night: Open Mic Night and there will be lots of raffles!! Hope to see you all there!!!

From Bray to San Diego, Letter 3

2012 College Conference Tour: UCSD Triton Day

The College Conference Tour continued with a small contingent visit to UCSD for Triton Day, during which admitted and prospective students tour the campus to explore the variety of organizations, academic majors, venues and buildings are available at the university.  We were lucky to attend the Native American student community welcome hosted by the Native American Student Alliance, which was also attended by Chancellor Fox and other UCSD faculty & staff.  Pictures from the day can be seen on our Photobucket album here.

Traditional and college experience storytelling

We were blessed last Friday to have both Cathleen and her son Brandon here for American Indian Storytelling!  Along with traditional stories, Brandon played his flutes and his mandolin, a change of pace from what we're used to.  He also shared his experiences and provided Q&A for members regarding life as a college student living away from home.

2012 College Conference Tour: UCLA

24 youth and staff members braved the roads of Los Angeles for the third installment of the College Conference Tour for the American Indian Student Association 13th Annual Youth Conference at UCLA.  Pics from the weekend can be seen in our Photobucket album here.

The trip started with a mostly traffic-free drive to Koreatown, where we stopped for lunch at Sanya, a Korean BBQ joint.  With bellies full, attendees drove to West Los Angeles for a tour and exploration of the Museum of Tolerance.  First, we explored the museum's exhibits on the history of (in)tolerance in the United States, the power of media, the pervasiveness of stereotype, and widespread child labor in the world.  Next, we were taken on a historical journey detailing the origins, atrocities and legacies of the Holocaust.  Each attendee was given a card to follow the journey of a Jewish child through the Holocaust.  One of the children on these cards, Devorah Kirszenbaum (known today as Dorothy Greenstein), survived the Nazis' crimes and shared her experiences of living in the Warsaw Ghetto and working as a mother's helper in Polish households during World War II.  After her stories and encouragement to the audience to "not hold grudges" and "study, study, study," youth members and staff got to speak one-on-one with Ms. Greenstein, which was arguably the highlight of our Museum of Tolerance visit.  We ended day 1 with a trip to Griffith Observatory, where we attended the last showing of "Centered in the Universe," a presentation in the planetarium dome of the Observatory.  After the 30-minute show, youth members explored the interactive exhibits of the observatory and ran around the declines and grassy spaces of the park. 

Day 2 was for the conference at UCLA.  Youth members went on tours of the UCLA campus, participated in workshops on Native art, culture, and college admissions, and met other Native youth from around California.  The keynote speaker for the event was Robert Johnston from the Native Wellness Institute.  Mr. Johnston encouraged attendees to stick with their motivations and believe in themselves, inviting students onstage with him to introduce themselves and their goals in front of the audience.  After the conference, we headed to Hollywood Boulevard for one last stroll (and dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings) before driving back to San Diego.