The American Indian Program hosted its open house event on Sept. 10. During the event, leaders of diversity programs gave speeches about the importance of their organizations in welcoming New Mexico State University’s Native American and wider student population.
Director of the American Indian Program, Michael Ray, explained that he hosts open houses for the program because he wants to invite fellow Native Americans on campus to a place where they can feel supported and heard.
“One of the things that we want to make sure of is that there’s a sense of support on campus for the American Indian community. We want to make sure they’re aware we’re here to help them academically and understanding that they have cultural needs that they may need to attend [to],” Ray said.
Additionally, Ray explained how if diversity programs like his did not host regular events, students wouldn’t want to engage in the campus’ community and just go back home.
“What this event means to me personally is about building a community. We need to have events that bring people together, so they can get to know one another, and create that sense of belonging,” Ray said. “If we don’t have these events to bring people together, they’re just going to go home every single weekend because that’s where their community is.”
Assistant professor of Native American Studies, Georgina Badoni, mentioned how Michael Ray not only creates a welcoming environment for students, but for faculty as well.
“When I came here in 2019, I reached out to Michael Ray first because he was present in my interviews when I first applied for this position. And when I got here, he was always one of the first people I reached out to for help,” Badoni said. “Not only does he create a sense of belonging for students here, but also a sense of belonging for the faculty, to make sure they also find their way through here.”
Although hosted by the American Indian Program, the open house serves to welcome all returning and new Aggies to the community, as reflected by the organization being open to students of all backgrounds.
“I think what I like about our diversity programs is although we have designated titles for our Native American programs, or Black programs, our goal is not to keep these groups separated and we make sure to support one another and to be inclusive,” Badoni said.
One of the attendees, Ashley Skeets, said she always attends events hosted by the American Indian Programs to seek out that feeling of belonging.
“So, I wasn’t always this involved, and even then, I’m not a member of these organizations. But now I like to go out of my way to be involved to surround myself with people who are like me or share a similar background and just feel at home,” Skeets said.
To Ashley Skeets, what the event meant to her most was that it represented NMSU’s Native presence to the rest of the community and their resilience.
“For people who don’t know much about Native American culture, it also helps give those an insight into who we are as a people,” Skeets said. “What it means to me personally is that these events spread awareness of our culture and existence. It tells everyone that us Native Americans are still here.”
