CSUSB’s First Peoples Coyote Rising program wins ISAN award

The First Peoples Coyote Rising program at Cal State San Bernardino was selected as one of this year’s recipients of the Indigenous Student Affairs Network’s (ISAN) Innovative Practice Award.

The ISAN Innovative Practice Award is given to an individual or program for creating and/or implementing an original or highly effective Indigenous Student Affairs program or practice on their campus or in their local community.

“It is an honor to be recognized by Indigenous Student Affairs Network (ISAN) for the ISAN Innovative Practice Award for work that our CSUSB’s Native American Outreach team has done in the execution of successful programming for incoming Native American students,” said Tiffany Bonner, director of the CSUSB Office of Outreach and Student Recruitment. “Our First Peoples Coyote Rising program was created to develop a sense of community and strengthen student engagement. The success of this program is in part from the support and generosity of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, as well as support from our on-campus partners, such as faculty, peer mentors, and our First Peoples’ Center.”

“The program’s contributions listed in the nomination are clearly innovative,” said Cori Bazemore-James (Seneca), chair of ISAN, and Justin Rasmussen (Métis), chair of the ISAN Awards Selection Committee, in an email announcing the award. “The First Peoples Coyote Rising program is very deserving of this award.”

The First Peoples Coyote Rising is CSUSB’s summer bridge program designed specifically to support Native American students transitioning into CSUSB. The program focuses on aiding students to connect with Native American peer mentors, build community with campus supports, engage and network with Native community partners and members, and access valuable resources to promote a positive and strong student experience. The 2020 First Peoples Coyote Rising program was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The award will be presented virtually at ACPA21 at an ISAN/Native Indigenous Aboriginal Council (NAIC) Meeting, which will tentatively be held on Friday, March 5, from 1 to 3 p.m. EST.

The First Peoples Coyote Rising program will receive an official certificate and pin from the ACPA to commemorate this recognition by ISAN, which will be mailed out ahead of ACPA21.

Learn more about CSUSB’s First Coyotes Rising Program at the CSUSB Tribal Relations events webpage.