University of Arizona undergraduate student mentors will work with middle and high school students with the help of a $1.2 million state education grant.
Carmen Duarte A $1.2 million grant to a UA College of Education program that provides mentors and educational resources to Arizona’s Indigenous communities will double the number of mentors working with middle and high school students.
Recent mentor Cassandra Perez is from the San Carlos Apache Reservation, near Globe, and this past academic year she was a mentor to two Pascua Yaqui students attending Tucson High Magnet School.
The Native SOAR program also offers workshops emphasizing Indigenous knowledge and best teaching practices to all local K-12 educators. The sessions are taught by Native SOAR staff and university students. Since 2014, nearly 300 undergraduates have served as college mentors who represent over 50 majors, said Cheromiah. Most of the mentors are members of Arizona tribes, but there are mentors who are enrolled in tribes outside the state.