For  Princess, every moment of her time and every fiber of her being is oriented to what might be called “community service” in this award context, but is perhaps better captured by the concept “indigenous revitalization and community healing.” She has been actively serving her community since she was at least 16. As an enrolled Hoopa tribal member (also Yurok/Karuk), she has been a role model and mentor, giving presentations and workshops on cultural practices and healing in myriad venues, and publishing and working formally in these areas as well. She is currently a senior park aide and interpreter at Sue-Meg State Park, where she teaches visitors (both virtually and in-person) about the native history and uses of the land; she herself has been actively involved in native practices and ceremonies in this sacred land throughout her life. Indeed, the “community” she “serves” includes the land.

Princess co-produced a film on a book in which she is also published, K’am-T’em: A Journey Toward Healing. Her list of public speaking and community service contributions is too long to list here, but attests to the duration and magnitude of her work. Her commitment to Humboldt is demonstrated through her work with the Child Development Department on an ACEs Aware grant and the Ka’m-t’em Speaker Series, her participation in ITEPP, and curriculum programs that she provides to youth that emphasize higher education.

Princess has worked with many local agencies, such as California State Parks, Two Feathers Native American Family Services, Hoopa Tribal Fisheries, Yurok Tribal Education, Hoopa Tribal Education, Yurok Social Services, the Northern Indian Development Council (NCIDC), Seventh Generation Fund, and United Indian Health Services to nurture spaces that embrace diversity and support Indigenous children, families, and communities. She is currently partnering with the Seventh Generation Fund to develop curriculum and activities to assist girls, ages 11-13, to prepare for their coming-of-ceremonies. Participants will learn the process of gathering and preparing acorns, materials for traditional maple bark skirts, and pine nuts, bear grass, and shells for ceremonial dresses. For this project, she is connecting her knowledge as an Environmental Studies major, her minor in American Indian Education in Child Development, and her community knowledge to provide culturally and developmentally appropriate lessons that emphasize a relationship with the natural environment.

It’s hard to separate her academic and community contributions, which is the way it really should be; she is a model for breaking down the walls between Cal Poly Humboldt and “the community” within which it sits. Her academics are indeed aligned with this service; she won the McConnell Foundation Scholarship, the Jack Montoya Scholarship, and the Cobell Scholar Award, and earned the honor of being an Eagle Feather Fellow for Thriving Women and Girls. Her community service extends far beyond the local community, as she contributes her indigenous expertise in conferences and publications as well, for example, as an invited speaker just last week in California’s secretary of resources Wade Crowfoot’s Earth Day event, Hidden Heroes of the Environment. All of this work ensures that her teachings reach others outside her community, an essential aspect of ensuring ongoing healing.

We are pleased to announce Princess Jincton Colegrove as the Outstanding Student of the Year for Co-Curricular Contributions!