It takes a village of volunteers to operate Utah State University’s Native American Summer Mentorship Program each year, and the outcome is well-appreciated by program participants. The 2023 gathering, which began in mid-May, culminated with research experience presentations June 13, by each of the nine USU Blanding undergraduates participating in this year’s program.

“The program exceeded my expectations,” said Reese Begay, who was among the scholars who traveled to USU’s Logan campus for the four-week program. “The faculty, staff and students who led our activities and tours were well-informed and broadened my knowledge of opportunities. It was nice to witness different areas of the university up close. I didn’t know so much research took place at Utah State.”

Formally initiated in 2015 and coordinated by USU’s Mentoring and Encouraging Academic Success (MESAS) program, NASMP provides students with an immersive introduction to four-year degree programs in a range of disciplines. Participants stay in campus dorms, follow a busy schedule of tours and undertake short-term research projects in a variety of lab and field settings.

Kailee Tohonnie, right, a scholar in USU’s Native American Summer Mentorship Program, displays her poster at a June 13 presentation. Nine undergrads participated in the month-long gathering led by USU’s MESAS program. (Photo credit: USU/M. Muffoletto)

“This year, nearly 20 faculty members volunteered to mentor NASMP students with projects and classes, and more than a dozen campus entities opened their doors for tours of their facilities,” said Hannah Wilson, the program’s lead facilitator and a doctoral candidate in the Department of Biology and the USU Ecology Center. “Two Utah-based scientists from the National Science Foundation’s National Ecological Observatory Network, known as NEON, also volunteered to take NASMP scholars to Moab field sites on their way to Logan, and taught them how to collect ecological data. USU engineering faculty member Colin Phillips has volunteered the past two years to teach a weekly class on basic data skills to participants.”

NASMP participant Kaia Jay said USU’s Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art was among her favorite stops on the campus tour, and a ceramic work in the museum’s collection, “with the image of a woman who looked like Frida Kahlo,” was her favorite piece among the museum’s collection.

Jay also marveled at demonstrations of the USU Department of Nursing’s patient simulators.

“They have an infant mannequin with a mouth than can turn blue,” she said. “Since I’m working toward becoming a nurse, I was glad have the opportunity to tour this facility and to listen to the nursing instructor’s wisdom.”

Another highlight, Jay said, was visiting USU’s South Farm and witnessing a sedated alpaca undergoing in vitro fertilization.
NASMP participant ClaraMae Armajo said touring the Aggie Chocolate Factory was one of her favorite destinations, along with a visit to USU’s Crop Physiology Laboratory, where researchers are growing plants for space flights.

A special surprise for Armajo was working in USU Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives, where the undergrad discovered photos of her grandmother, a USU alumna, from 1974.

“That was really special,” she says. “I learned that library science is a lot more than just shelving books.”
A surprise also awaited NASMP participant Tolonqua Nakai. The marine biology enthusiast admitted, “I never thought I’d like English as much as I did, until my NASMP experience.”

Working with Department of English faculty member Travis Franks, Nakai searched for poems by 19th Century writer John Rollin Ridge, a member of the Cherokee Nation, who lived part of his life as a fugitive.
“It was like being Indiana Jones,” Nakai says. “Looking for his never-before-published poems. It was the best English project I’ve ever had.”

NASMP scholar Brett James, who plans to become a physician and is currently working toward a certificate as an emergency medical technician at USU Blanding, worked with USU sociologist Mehmet Soyer to learn about Utah residents’ views on Bears Ears National Monument. In another project, James learned from Department of Mathematics and Statistics faculty member Brynja Kohler how mathematical modeling was used to study the Flint, Michigan water crisis, in which thousands of residents were exposed to dangerous levels of lead.

Beyond campus, James enjoyed outings to local sights and attractions.
“Our trip to Bear Lake was pretty sick,” he said. “And we drained the sink at Angie’s (referring to a popular dessert at a local restaurant).”

Wilson said the 2023 NASMP cohort was “very engaged and each student was on top of everything.”
“We are continuously refining the program and always seeking faculty members and others who wish to help,” she said.
Wilson, who has served as lead facilitator for the past two years, was assisted by co-facilitators Savannah Adkins, AlLisia Dawkins and Jessica Murray, all of whom are USU doctoral students.

USU colleges participating in the 2023 program included the College of Science, the College of Engineering, the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources, the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences and the College of Veterinary Medicine. Additional tours were hosted by the Intermountain Herbarium, the Dale & Adele Young Teaching Greenhouse, the Student Organic Farm and the Merrill-Cazier Library.

“We have a lot of people who help out with NASMP,” Wilson said. “It’s a great experience for both the students and mentors.”