SALT LAKE CITY — While all the talk has been about the University of Utah home football opener Thursday, another opening on campus highlighted Native American students and culture.
The Native Ascent House is based in an older building near Fort Douglas and will celebrate Native American history with not only native students but anyone interested.
“This house is open to all students who are interested in living and learning in a community that’s grounded in native culture," said Tashina Barber, program manager at the Center for Native Excellence and Tribal Engagement. "We’re really excited to bring that to the university for all students eager to learn.”
The center is the result of an initiative that began nearly four years ago to ensure Native scholarship students leave school with durable skills while learning in a culturally comfortable setting.
Cliftene Duncan, a descendant of the Northern Ute Tribe, said the Ascent House has helped ease her transition to university life after growing up in rural Fort Duchesne.
“Moving away from home is definitely hard," she said. "Kind of moving away from your culture and finding the comfortability of expressing yourself and not wanting to feel judged.”
Freshman art student and Hopi tribal descendant Dowawisniok “Nimma” Groves was also excited about the opening.
“My parents put a lot of effort into making sure that we understood what it means to be native. Yeah, I feel really supported here, and I’m just happy to be in this positive environment," said Groves.
Sky Woods-Billy from Shiprock, New Mexico, had always wanted to come to the university, but the new Native Ascent House sealed the deal.
"...I feel like the cultural engagement was another important aspect of it," she said, "especially growing up, I like to call urban Indian.”
