“People in my dorm said that I looked better with short hair, but everyone at the AISCC (American Indian Student Cultural Center) encouraged me to grow my hair out again. For the first time since I came to the University, I felt like I could be myself. I didn’t have to worry about people not getting my humor. I didn’t feel like I have to change myself to fit in. The AISCC feels like home to me even when I’m miles away from my family.”

Details

Storyteller: Charlie
Tribe: Quechan Tribe
Created: 2018
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Transcript: I was born in Sacramento, California. I had lived there for about 4 years, then my dad decided to stop working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and move to Yuma, Arizona to work for the Quechan Tribe. The Quechan Tribe is a small group located right on the borders of Arizona, California, and Mexico. Those are my people. I have an older brother and a baby sister. I was always close to my brother and sister. My earliest memories are going to a hobby shop with my dad and brother. This was when my dad was still going to law school, this sort of thing actually didn't happen very often, but I always think back on those times fondly. Because my brother and I were so close, I would hang out with his friends Andrew and Mark. I was always encouraged to go to college and I was always around people who intended on going to college. Both of my parents went to college. Most of my mom's sisters went to college and my dad's brother went to college. A lot of my cousins are going to college and next year my baby sister will go to college too. When I came to the University of Minnesota, I sort of lost this support. Ironic, I know. These friends that I had spent years cultivating relationships with were not with me. I couldn't go to their dorms, I couldn't go out with them, I couldn't talk to them face-to-face. I wasn't sure what to do. I tried talking to people, but nothing quite stuck. People seemed to always have closer friends or didn't quite get me. Near the end of the first semester, I finally found my place at the American Indian Student Cultural Center. I think the best example that illustrates the dichotomy between the AISCC and the other people I talked to at the University is their reaction to pictures of my long hair. People in my dorm said that I looked better with short hair, but everyone at the AISCC encouraged me to grow my hair out again. For the first time since I came to the University, I felt like I could be myself. I didn’t have to worry about people not getting my humor. I didn’t feel like I have to change myself to fit in. The AISCC feels like home to me even when I’m miles away from my family.