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In honor of National Native American Heritage Month, the Orange County Department of Education reached out to three influential and prominent community leaders to share different aspects of their education, life and work.
Led by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Al Mijares, the trio of video interviews marked the latest in a series of online events reflecting the theme of Know My Name, Face and Story, a call to action that is increasingly being embraced by educators to promote academic engagement and mental health.
“This emphasis on mutual understanding also has wider implications,” Dr Mijares said. “I believe this is the key to overcoming our differences and uniting behind shared values.” When we take the time to learn the names and stories of those around us, we treat each other not as adversaries, but as neighbors with many of the same ideals, aspirations, and struggles.
In 1990, President George HW Bush approved a joint resolution designating November as “National American Indian Heritage Month.” You can watch the latest OCDE Know My Name, Face and Story interviews above, and here’s more about each presenter:
sunday belardes
President and Curator, Adobe Museum Blas Aguilar Foundation and Acjachemen Cultural Center
Domingo Belardes is the curator of the Blas Aguilar Adobe Museum and the Acjachemen Cultural Center. He is also the great-great-great-grandson of Don Blas Aguilar, the last mayor under Mexican rule to call adobe home.
Mr. Belardes recently partnered with the Orange County Department of Education, Vanguard University and other Acjachemen community leaders to facilitate Orange County First Nations cultural tours and history classes for local educators. The program represents an opportunity to foster a deeper understanding of the history of San Juan Capistrano and Orange County on land that was once home to three large Acjachemen villages.
Dr. Crystal Martinez-Alire
Board President, Elk Grove Unified School District
Member of the Ione Band of Miwok Indians
A member of the federally recognized Miwok Tribe, Dr. Crystal Martinez-Alire holds a faculty position in the community college system and has served in the Native American Studies departments at UC Davis and California State University, Sacramento. She is also the school board president of the Elk Grove Unified School District and is the CEO of the California Native American School Boards Association.
Dr. Martinez-Alire has documented the relationship between California tribal leadership and education with an emphasis on social justice and transformational leadership theories. Her research examines a range of topics, such as elders in the American Indian community, education, and collaboration. She hopes to further develop curriculum that meets the needs of American Indian students and strives to provide strong ethical leadership for tribal communities.
Dr. Martinez-Alire is a graduate of California State University, Sacramento, where she earned a doctorate in educational leadership along with a master’s degree in counseling and a bachelor’s degree in communication studies with a minor in sociology.
Pamela Agoyo
Director and Special Assistant to the President for American Indian Affairs, University of New Mexico
Pamela Agoyo is the Director of American Indian Student Services and Special Assistant to the President for American Indian Affairs at the University of New Mexico.
In a career that has focused primarily on student affairs and student development, Ms. Agoyo has served the university in a number of capacities, including Director of Student Union Recreation Services, Recruiter in the Office of Admissions and Outreach Services , Director of Minority Recruitment and Retention and Scholarship Coordinator for the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
Along with bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology, she holds a master’s degree in organizational learning and instructional technology from the University of New Mexico. Most recently, she received an Executive MBA from UNM.
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