This blog post centers on celebrating the Labriola Center library aide graduations, and high school tours from Shiprock High School and St. Charles Parochial (San Carlos).
Labriola Center Library Aide Graduates!
Library Aides from the Labriola Center have graduated and flown the nest! Labriola Center staff are so proud of our students. We want to reflect on their journey and huge accomplishment at ASU!
On Thursday, May 14, the American Indian Student Support Services and the American Indian Celebration Committee honored graduated Indigenous students at ASU. Traditionally, Indigenous peoples who have accomplished something honorable for their community are bestowed a beautiful wool blanket. In light of this tradition, students received a commemorative graduation stole in honor of their success in obtaining a degree. According to this article written by Marshall Terrill, "The first American Indian Convocation took place in 1990 at L.S. Neeb Hall, a 438-seat lecture hall on the ASU Tempe campus." Since then, the ceremony has grown exponentially and takes place in Gammage Theatre to accommodate families and guests of graduated students.
Inside Gammage Theatre, a row of Indigenous students in maroon robes line the stage to the seats at front.
Lainey Tsosie (Diné) graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a minor in Spanish from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University and is a Barrett Honors Student. Lainey was recently featured in the Sun Devil Community news and was interviewed about her major and experience at ASU! Go to the article to learn more.
Lainey began working at the Labriola Center in October 2023. She has led many of the Labriola Center's book clubs and social media projects, including photography and video editing. Lainey has given a lot of dedication, creativity, and warmth in her role at the Labriola Center.
Mafi Pamaka graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Social and Cultural Analysis (Ethnicity, Race and Indigenous Studies) from the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts. In addition to her degree, Mafi completed a certificate in Applied Analytics.
During her time at ASU, Mafi completed a study abroad with Conservation Biology focusing on rainforest and coral reef restoration. She also was awarded an internship in Ghana, West Africa at a human trafficking recovery center.
Mafi started at the Labriola Center in 2023. At the Labriola Center, Mafi designed social media posts and book display exhibits at Fletcher Library, and assisted with data management in Labriola Center's special collections, including a several year project on evaluating books following Protocols for Native American Archival Materials from the Society of American Archivists. During her final year, Mafi attended the Phoenix Zine Fest where she promoted some zines from a zine collection at the Labriola Center.
Tonana Ben (Diné) graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Biological Sciences (Biomedical Sciences) at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
During her studies, Tonana held the title as Miss Indigenous ASU and worked as a Library Aide for the Labriola Center. She started at the Labriola Center in August 2023.
Tonana is a seamstress and sells ribbon skirts and tiered skirts. She learned how to sew when she began pageants, as outfits can become very expensive. With her skill, she taught several workshops at the Labriola Center, including Ribbon Skirt Workshops and Tiered Skirt Workshops. After graduation, Tonana plans on running for Miss Navajo Nation and working with her community in the health field.
Elena Dominguez (Pascua Yaqui) graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental and Resource Management at Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. Elena pursued a B.S. in Environmental and Resource Management "to enrich their understanding of land policy, waste management practices, and food sovereignty in collaboration with tribal entities and homegrown actors."
Elena started working at the Labriola Center in July 2023. During her time at ASU, Elena interviewed fellow Labriola Center library aides and staff about music influences. Elena also collaborated on social media videos and advocated for language learning with Pascua Yaqui bingo nights. Elena will also start her Master’s program in the Fall of 2026 at ASU.
A huge congratulations to Utohna Francis, one of the original library aides to start working at the Labriola Center when Director Alex Soto onboarded at the Labriola Center. Congratulations, Utohna!
Shiprock High School Visit
In partnership with the Office of American Indian Initiatives, the Labriola Center gave a tour and presentation to high schoolers from Shiprock High. In addition, Indigenous students at ASU presented their experience through a student-led panel discussion in room 232 in Hayden Library.
San Carlos High School Visit
St. Charles Parochial school from San Carlos came for a visit at the Labriola Center with the Office of American Indian Initiatives. There were about nine students in total, accompanied by chaperones. The students learned about the unique services the Labriola Center offers, including Indigenous speculative fiction books authored by Indigenous peoples.
Interested in learning what is happening at the Labriola Center this month? Check out our events page. See you soon!