Class of 2020

Photo by DeAnn Payne

Class of 2021: Olivia Wilson, Indie Russell, Will Smith, Holden Duncan (standing, center), Caroline Kyser, and Deedee Jansen.

PRESENTING THE CLASS OF 2021

Despite the difficult school year of 2020/2021, the SFWS High School seniors prevailed through tough times and were accepted to an impressive list of colleges and universities.

Class Valedictorian

Indie Russell

College Choices

The Class of 2021 are attending the following colleges:

Holden Duncan

American University

Deedee Jansen Austin College

Caroline Kyser

University of Denver

Indie Russell

Saint Andrews, Scotland

Will Smith

University of Redlands or University of New Mexico, after a gap year.

Olivia Wilson

Fort Lewis College

Additional acceptances include:

Adams State Bates College Beloit College Colorado State University Eckerd College Evergreen College Furman University Kenyon College Lewis and Clark College Linfield University New Mexico State University New Mexico Tech Reed College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Sewanee, the University of the South Steven Institute of Technology Trinity College, Dublin University of Massachusetts - Boston University of Oregon University of Puget Sound Warren Wilson College Willamette University Worchester Polytechnic Institute

SFWS SENIOR JOINS INAUGURAL INDIGENOUS YOUTH COUNCIL

High School 12th grader Trinity Roybal was named this year to the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department’s (IAD) Indigenous Youth Council, a group formed to discuss issues ranging from improving access to higher education resources to behavioral and mental health needs for tribal communities.

Roybal, from P’osuwageh Owingeh (Pojoaque Pueblo/ Water Drinking Place Village), says "While on the Youth Council, I’m hoping to be able to give a voice to Indigenous youth who aren't able to have their voices be heard. Along with that, I also hope that we can improve the wellbeing of several pueblos and tribes around New Mexico."

"I’M HOPING TO BE ABLE TO GIVE A VOICE TO INDIGENOUS YOUTH WHO AREN'T ABLE TO HAVE THEIR VOICES BE HEARD."

The newly created council is made up of members representing the state’s 23 nations, tribes, and pueblos. It meets monthly and a recent issue the group addressed was promoting resources for September’s Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in social media. Other issues Roybal specifically hopes to work on are missing and murdered Indigenous women, language revitalization, and promoting the growth of traditional foods.

Over the summer, the council held a virtual Youth Summit Meeting for Native youth around the state. "We had to work together to make sure everything was set in motion for the meeting. Although getting ready for that was very tiring and time consuming, we were able to have a really good turn out on the zoom meeting, having about 50 members participating and also having Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham making a small guest appearance on the first day," Roybal says. The council then consolidated the feedback from the summit meeting into recommendations for state and tribal leaders concerning the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and cultural wellness of Indigenous youth.

New Mexico Indian Affairs Cabinet Secretary Lynn Trujillo praised the work of Roybal and her fellow council members; "I am proud to see these leaders in action, addressing complex issues that our youth face to protect future generations." 3