Julia Jones, a William Randolph Hearst Scholar for the CSU,  has shown a commitment to community service and to integrating her studies in Native American Studies and Sociology through volunteering and working for various community projects that serve Native American youth. For the past two years, she has served as a Teaching Assistant for NAS 104 assisting Dr. Kaitlin Reed as part of the Place Based Learning Communities. Her involvement in the NAS 104 Intro courses has contributed to the retention of students at Cal Poly Humboldt and her mentorship of these students has been a key part of their success in the classroom. Julia also assisted Dr. Reed in transitioning the course to a primarily online platform throughout the pandemic. Her ability to navigate this change was incredibly admirable throughout the pandemic and her dedication to finding new ways to engage students through online learning was indispensable to our department.

Julia has taken on additional professional opportunities and positions that demonstrate how her interdisciplinary training in both NAS and Sociology can inspire the next generation of Native Youth. She worked alongside Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy as a TA for an online youth writing camp at the Graton Rancheria.  For her work with the Graton Rancheria high school youth, She led small group discussions to help Native youth develop personal essays that would educate people about Native American history. Julia has demonstrated a wide spectrum of knowledge about Native American history and contemporary issues throughout her work. 

Julia has also worked as a TA at Hoopa Valley High School providing mentorship and tutoring for math students. She was a summer youth worker for Hoopa Valley Child Development, where she created activities for Native youth. She wants to give back to her community because  the mentorship that she received growing up as a youth on the reservation helped her understand the importance of having mentors who demonstrate how to be successful in higher education. 

Currently, Julia is involved in an ongoing research project with the Mckinlevyille Community Resource Center. She is working with Dr. Risling Baldy to identify children's books that can be introduced to childcare facilities throughout Humboldt County to encourage child care workers to diversify the books available at their facilities. 

Today, she is double majoring in sociology and Native American studies, with an emphasis in law and government. We are pleased to announce Julia Jones as the Outstanding Student of the Year - For Excellence in an Academic Discipline!