Taishiana Tsosie ’21 wanted a major that encompassed all her areas of interest—the environment, government, culture, and people’s behaviors and beliefs.

“I couldn’t just pick one because I want to understand them all,” Tsosie explains.

The answer was a sociology major.

She also picked up a minor in Africana studies after taking more than half the required classes pursuing her interest in racial studies, ethnicity and social justice.

“Understanding people who are different from you stimulates thoughtful discussion, connections and provokes a different form of academic achievement that can’t be measured in a single letter grade,” she says.

“Sociology and Africana studies have definitely shaped my college experience and my character.”

Tsosie is one of four students connected to ����TV through College Horizons, a program focused on increasing the number of Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students in college.

After graduation, she hopes to return to the Southwest to work for a reservation-based nonprofit.

“My biggest goal is to create a central program that provides services to my Navajo people and also works in collaboration with neighboring tribes to mitigate our similar struggles,” she says.

At ����TV, Tsosie is a member of numerous student organizations, including SU Natives & Allies, Interfaith Council, Student Diversity Council, the Black Student Union, and the Association of Latino and American Students.

She’s one of the first students enrolled in the ����TV Service Leader Program.

“It has opened different doors to new things,” she says.