Honors Alternative Spring Break: Whiteriver, AZ

​Help send honors U of A students on a service-learning trip during spring break! We will travel to the Whiteriver Apache Reservation and focus on the topic of indigenous food sovereignty.

​Who are we?

Honors Alternative Spring Break (HASB) is an organization that gives students the opportunity to engage in service learning during their University of Arizona spring break. In HASB, students travel to a community, where they work with a partner organization to accomplish specific goals and improve the local area. Many students from past trips have commented that the experience is rewarding, eye-opening or even life-altering.

           A tour through one of the farm greenhouses by Native American farm leader Clayton.

​Why our trip?

​​The Whiteriver trip, centered around indigenous food sovereignty, will take students to the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Northern Arizona.  They will learn about indigenous food sovereignty by working on the People's Farm on the reservation, interacting with students from the tribe's schools and engaging with and hearing from tribal leaders. 

A wickiup built by honors students and tribal members. Outside the reservation's cultural center and museum, it was used in the community's tribal ceremonies last spring.

​Indigenous food sovereignty is the principle that indigenous communities have the right to produce healthy, culturally adapted foods to maintain their food security. While indigenous food sovereignty is the focus of the trip, participants will also explore important topics related to public health, Native American rights, and agriculture.  

             2016 participants after learning how to use the farm's outdoor oven to bake pizza

Learn more about the Whiteriver Apache reservation and history here: http://www.wmat.nsn.us

​Learn more about the People's Farm here: https://gardenwarriorsgoodseeds.com/2014/09/19/ndee-bikiyaa-the-peoples-farm-white-mountain-apache-tribe-az/​ 

​Thank you,

HASB Whiteriver

​Check in with us after our trip to learn more about what your support helped us accomplish!

​Our Trip Members:

​Amy Liu

     Fun Fact: Amy was born in Canada and is a dual citizen.

     Amy is a sophomore at the University of Arizona Honors College, studying Biochemistry and Mathematics with a minor in Chinese. She is a Tucson native. She spends her free time running, working in a breast cancer lab, working as a research assistant at BUMC, and volunteering at an at-risk middle school. She is on a pre-medical school track, and is involved with the board of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the pre-health honorary on campus, as the health chair. She participated on the Human Trafficking trip last year in San Diego, CA and is excited to learn about another issue that impacts a different aspect of health through a hands-on manner!

Annie Brunton

     Fun Fact: Annie taught herself how to ride a unicycle in the fifth grade.

     Annie Brunton is a Sophomore in the University of Arizona Honors College. She is studying Biosystems Engineering with minors in Spanish, Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering. On campus, she is the President of the UA Rube Goldberg Team and the Engineering Student Council Representative for the Society of Women Engineers. She is passionate about sustainability and helps plan waste-reducing efforts with Students for Sustainability. A Tucson native, she participated in the Whiteriver trip last year and is excited to be a Whiteriver Trip Leader this year. The trip last year offered a new and more comprehensive perspective on farming within indigenous cultures, and she looks forward to sharing that experience with other honors students.

Bryn Sharp

     Originally from Boulder, Colorado, Bryn Sharp is a Junior at the University of Arizona Honors College, majoring in Latin American Studies and Spanish, with a minor in Portuguese. In the future Bryn hopes to work in urban development and environmental protection in Latin America. This past year she studied abroad in Viña del Mar, Chile at the University Adolfo Ibáñez, where she was a member of the University’s women’s soccer team, worked as a photographer for Namuntu Adventura, a local adventure tourism agency, and volunteered with Valpo Surf Project. This spring Bryn will be interning at the University of Arizona’s National Center for Interpretation. A passionate lover of the outdoors and the environment, she will also participate in the 2017/2018 Blue Chip Case Study Competition, where she will work hands-on with her team to solve real-world problems related to the Coronado Outdoors Initiative. Bryn is also a member of the University’s Buddy Program and actively works to promote the institute’s study abroad programs. Apart from her studies, Bryn is an independent photographer who strives to show the world in its true colors in order to inspire social and environmental change. Additionally, she plays soccer and loves to participate in outdoor activities – hiking, rock climbing, etc. – in Southern Arizona and surrounding areas. Bryn is excited to participate in the Whiteriver Trip this year. It is her first time attending one of these activities, and she hopes to gain a new understanding of the local native community and will strive to apply this knowledge to her future.

​Julia Crocco

     ​Fun Fact: Julia loves trail mix.

     Julia Crocco is a first-year student at the University of Arizona. She is studying Pre-Business and she hopes to pursue degrees in Management, Information Systems, Operations Management, and Economics with a Global Business minor. She has recently been hired as an RA in Arbol de la Vida. Julia loves Housing and Residential Life and the opportunities it allows students for development and leadership. Julia is also a selected member of Eller ELITE, a group comprised of business students working to hone their networking and professional skills. Sustainability has always been an important value to Julia. She is excited to learn about farming techniques and how to apply them to her life.

​Marianne Cayer

     Fun Fact: Marianne performed in the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show as one of the light-up orbs in the Pepsi logo and on the final segment of the show. One of her favorite claims to fame is meeting the famous Left Shark.

     Originally from Chandler, Arizona, Marianne is a freshman in the University of Arizona Honors College, and is currently in the Pre-Neuroscience and Cognitive Science program. Also, with plans to declare a music minor, Marianne performs with the clarinet studio, the Wind Ensemble, and the Biquadrate clarinet quartet, as well as competing in the Fred Fox School of Music President’s Concerto Competition. In the future, Marianne is planning on attending medical school and ultimately being a neurologist. She is ecstatic to be on the Whiteriver Honors Alternative Spring Break trip as it will be an immersive learning experience, as well as a great opportunity to give back to the Arizonan community.​

​Nate Whitthorne

     Fun Fact: In his free time, Nate dances ballroom, and has recently begun competing with the rest of the University of Arizona’s Wildcat Dancesport Team.

     Originally from Tucson, Nathaniel Whitthorne is a Sophomore at the University of Arizona Honors College, majoring in History and Political Science, with a concentration in Law and Public Policy. This spring he will be working with the School of Government and Public Policy as an Undergraduate Research Fellow, helping compile and analyze data on the impact of European border policy changes on refugee flows. Off campus, he volunteers at the Mission Garden in Tucson, a historical recreation of farming practices and traditional foods from prehistoric times to the current day, on a site that has been continuously cultivated for over four thousand years. He is excited to be a leader on the Whiteriver Trip this year. Last year’s trip was a formative experience for him, and he hopes to help share as powerful an experience with this year’s participants.

Nicole Medina

​Raynaldo Ryu Velo Legarretta

     Fun Fact: Ryu has done martial arts since he was five years old.

     Raynaldo Ryu Velo Legarreta is a Senior in the University of Arizona Honors College, pursuing majors in in Law and Political science, and an accelerated masters degree in legal studies. Ryu prefers empowering people, as we are as strong as our weakest link. He finds a passion in law and observing the little things that matter in life. Ryu plans to go on to law school to practice international law or work in foreign policy for the government. He believes math is evil but has a place in the world just like sustainability, with the exception that sustainability is needed for our future.

​Sam Owen

     Fun Fact: Sam has been playing piano since he was 4, and regularly takes part in jazz jam sessions.

     Sam Owen is a freshman at the University of Arizona, studying Architecture and Music in the Honors College. He is a strong advocate of zero-waste practices and aspires to use his future architecture certification to help redesign cities to become less wasteful and more friendly to the environment that surrounds them. On his spare time he manages a plot at the Rincon Heights Organic Community Garden. Sam envisions a future where he can produce most of his food sustainable on his own, and hopes to inspire others to push towards the same goal. Sam is looking forward to learning sustainable farming practices and gaining farm experience from a different cultural perspective through the Whiteriver trip.

​Victoria Howard

     Fun Fact: One of the items on Victoria’s bucket list is to drive through all 50 states. She has currently traveled to 15!

     Victoria Howard is a first-year student at the University of Arizona Honors College. She is double majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Wildlife Conservation and Management. With a love for the outdoors and an inquisitive nature, Victoria is passionate about the issues surrounding the environment, including climate change, sustainability, and wildlife conservation. She is an active member of the UA Environmental Awareness Society, and through the club has participated in multiple conservation and environmental education volunteering events. Through the honors alternative spring break trip to Whiteriver, she hopes to expand her knowledge of sustainable practices and explore new cultural perspectives.