AIR- American Indian Recruitment Program

We’re excited to share our latest issue, reflecting on a meaningful and successful 2025! This year, we celebrate the achievements of our Native Youth and the progress we’ve made through strong community collaborations.
Our students (in 2025) have begun their higher education journeys at SDSU, UCSD, Cal, Harvard, ASU, UCLA, and more! Even more exciting, our 2025 honorees (our latest) are already receiving admission offers from Penn State and West Virginia University. Wow!
Our diversion program efforts continue to see tremendous success, alongside ongoing Law Day programming. We’re thrilled to see growing community interest in collaborating with us—one new partnership will even bring Cornell University to share admissions insights with our youth.
All of this progress reflects the strength, support, and love of our community for our Native Youth. Thank you for being part of it, and Happy New Year!
For a high-resolution copy, please visit: www.airprograms.org.

We are honored to recognize our Student Leadership Awardees at the upcoming AIR Programs Awards Banquet, taking place on October 23rd at the Rincon Government Center.
Each of these outstanding students has not only excelled in their academic journeys but has also demonstrated exceptional commitment to community service. Through their roles as jurists in our Tribal Youth Peer Court, they actively contribute to wellness and healing within our communities—helping peers restore balance and reintegrate through Tribal Restorative Justice.
These students embody the true spirit of leadership—not just serving, but guiding others with compassion, integrity, and cultural responsibility.
Learn more about our incredible Student Leaders in the latest issue of our Newsletter: www.airprograms.org
Congratulations to all of our awardees!

AIR Quarterly is out for reading. In this Issue, we are proud to recognize our 2025 AIR Student Honorees—exceptional Native students selected for their academic excellence, community involvement, meaningful contributions to AIR projects, and their ability to uplift and inspire those around them.
Each honoree exemplifies dedication, resilience, and leadership. They have invested time and care into their academic journeys while remaining deeply engaged in their Native communities. Their commitment to higher education reflects a shared vision: to return and serve their communities, building a brighter future for generations to come.
We honor their achievements and look forward to the impact they will continue to make.
For a high-resolution copy please go to www.airprograms.org for our quarterly news.

As we prepare for this year’s parade, I want to share that the Embassy Suites Sacramento hotel block is full.
Rooms in the parade block are still available at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown location. Use code “AJR” when calling or booking through the website. This block closes Wednesday, October 8.

If you have any questions please email [email protected].

The Caucus and I look forward to enjoying another celebration with community from all over California during this year’s National Native American Heritage Month. See you there!

If you have not submitted your parade participant entry, please do so at the link below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScKN8djmKSueo5zNG9oE1Fk7j0BO4t2OtYsUt11G9v9ecqZcQ/viewform?usp=headerw

We are proud to announce our Student Leadership Awardees for 2025. Our awardees have been selected based on their academic standing, their participation in AIR Programs Projects, their ability to inspire and motivate others, their dedication to community and their determination to pursue higher education. We will honor these amazing Awardees at our Annual Awards and Fundraiser Banquet to be held October 23rd, at the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians, Government Center
We are honored that we have been able to know these students as someday they will lead all our communities to a greater future. This year’s awardees are:

Jaselle Deloris Fuggit (Rosebud Sioux Tribe)
Ali Marie Chacon (Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians)
Enalicia Rose Gutierrez (Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria)
Daniella Leandra Adkins (Manzanita Band of the Kumeyaay Nation)
Sequoia Conway (Manzanita Band of the Kumeyaay Nation)
Scarlett Reed (Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians)

Please visit our website (www.airprograms.org) for more information on our Annual Awards Banquet.

NDN Collective switches gears following major funding cuts The organization has begun to switch gears and restructure following federal funding cuts on the heels of its seventh year in operation

Come support our AIR Programs Awardees at our Annual Awards and Fundraiser Banquet to be held at the Rincon Tribal Government Center on October 23rd 2025.
Here we will celebrate and honor our Native Youth Awardees who are accomplishing so much and are continuing to contribute to their communities in various meaningful ways. These last few years have been exceptional with our collaborative efforts with the Intertribal Court of Southern CA, the many Tribal Education programs within the region, the District Attorneys Office, community based Tribal programs, UCSD and SDSU, and so many more. Our efforts together, has allowed us to developed so many needed programming for our Native Youth. We are truly thankful for our community support. So, Save the Date and celebrate at our Annual Banquet October 23rd!

We are excited to send out our quarterly news/updates to you on our progress within AIR Programs. This quarter is especially unique and cause for celebration. This graduation season we have our Honors Project participants graduating from High School and moving on to some of the best universities in the Nation! Their admission offers clearly tell the story of their success. They now enjoy, like so many others, the opportunity to choose the best university that will suit their lives and their success. Congrats!
Further, we are so proud of those who were former participants and are now graduating from the University of California San Diego and San Diego State University. All we can say is “Wow”!!!
Please enjoy our progress, as this is really the work of so many. From our Tribal Communities, Organizations, parents and the universities who all look towards the success of our Native Youth.
For a high-resolution copy please go to www.airprograms.org for our quarterly news.

AIR Programs proudly announces our AIR Summer project starting on June 23, 2025. We have been offering our AIR Summer programming free to our Native Communities for over 30 years and look forward to continuing this upcoming summer! This year we will introduce concepts of environmental stewardship with STEM based ideals and how this integrates with our developing tribal communities. Most of all, we look forward in making new friends and continuing our old friendships. See you this summer!!!
Learn more about AIR Summer, visit: airprograms.org