Our legacy issue
Editor’s letter — issue 04
By: Taylor Notah
Tribal affiliation: Diné
B.A. Journalism ‘18
In 1971, my father Ferdinand Notah, left Fort Defiance, Arizona, to study agriculture at Arizona State University. At the age of 18, he created a legacy within my family for being the first to attend college and graduate. Many more in my family followed suit by achieving their own degrees.
Recognizing the unique impact that my father had, I also began thinking about his footsteps at our shared alma mater and discovered he played a role in advocating for student resources that I had readily available as a student. This got me to think about those aunties and uncles within the Sun Devil family who also helped pave the way for what’s available for students today: the American Indian Student Support Services (AISSS), our annual signature events, the dozens of Native student and alumni orgs, scholarships and more.
Turning Points is thankful for the connections made through the Native American Alumni Chapter. Without attending their meetings and networking, we wouldn’t have learned about the Dawa-Chindi club and its ongoing legacy. We are honored that our alumni’s words weave the stories together in this issue.
The level of recognition for our publication is also making a legacy of its own. Turning Points is currently in year three of being a small yet mighty publication, and we are being recognized institutionally and nationally in a way that hasn’t been done and seen before.
Also weaved within these stories are threads of resilience, drive and determination. What makes the Native Sun Devil community unique is that we’ve created our own home away from home and that the footsteps of our loved ones are imprinted here. Whether it is the three generations of the Allison family leading by example; our signature Native events and programs celebrating anniversaries unprecedented at the university; or highlighting the myriad of ways our Indigenous students advocate, it is the cumulation of these legacies that is the backbone of our success at ASU.
What we hope you take away from this issue is this: you belong in your classrooms because our ancestors prayed for it and the Native students before us helped lay the foundation for our success. Read this issue and ask a family member about their own college journey. Learn their story and follow in their footsteps of determination. If you’re the first in your family to attend college, know that you are the one leading your family’s legacy.
As always, we hope this magazine sparks inspiration within you.
