Community News

Indigenous Students Find Community and Honor Native Cultures

Students and alumni reflect on their experiences as Native American students

syracuse.edu

Located near the heart of Haudenosaunee territory, Syracuse University is committed to empowering and supporting Indigenous students of any tribe or nation. From academic programs and resources to welcoming and supportive communities, Syracuse University provides a campus community with faculty, staff and alumni who are invested in helping Indigenous students succeed—like these students and alumni who call the University home.

A Good Mind for Community: Logan Booth

During Logan Booth’s post-graduate internship, she produced audio interviews with Indigenous students for Sound Beat, a National Public Radio show featuring archived recordings from Syracuse University’s Belfer Audio Laboratory and Archive. It was a way for Booth ’21 to promote her heritage as a member of the Seneca Nation residing on the Onondaga Nation near Syracuse. For Booth, documenting current students’ experiences to provide knowledge for the future reflects the value of the Good Mind, a traditional teaching of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

“Practicing the Good Mind, we can help others in future generations of our community,” she says.

Booth, who earned bachelor’s degrees in English and textual studies from the College of Arts and Sciences and public relations from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, took great pride in representing young Native women of her community at Syracuse University. The first-generation college student and Haudenosaunee Promise Scholarship recipient says she found her communities among some 350 Native American students at the University.

“At Syracuse, I was able to stay close to my culture and my identity and still be the very best student I could be.”—Logan Booth ’21

During a three-day orientation program for new Indigenous students, Booth was introduced to specialized resources that helped her navigate her involvement with her traditional culture and community, while also being fully present as a student. “My professors seemed to understand that the traditional part of my identity was very important to me,” she says. “At Syracuse, I was able to stay close to my culture and my identity and still be the very best student I could be.” Throughout her time at Syracuse, Booth says she also cherished her involvement with the Native Student Program through the Office of Multicultural Affairs, where staff members work with students, faculty, staff and families on initiatives that help Indigenous students transition to college and remain connected with their heritage, which is recognized as key to the success of their college experience.

Read her story: https://www.syracuse.edu/stories/logan-booth-haudenosaunee-promise-scholar/