Sheena Greenstone grew up in the Navajo Nation. There she learned to listen and be listened to. Simple things would later shape her life and goals.

It was also here that I wanted to become a counselor. Because you can give back by sharing that gift with your community.

It has not been an easy road. Her father was an alcoholic and her parents were divorced. Along with her struggles with her upbringing and going back and forth between her homes, she said she wanted someone she could share her feelings with. Someone who will be there for her.

Greenstone was lucky. She wasn’t alone, she ended up with some people who were there for her. Her support system helped her through her tough times and paved her way.

Her stepfather’s sister, her aunt, made her feel comfortable, even if it was just doing household chores. She didn’t give much advice or say much — she gave Greenstone the presence of an adult who could understand what she was going through. It says.

And Greenstone’s best friend, whose parents divorced, showered her with the love and compassion that stemmed from the similarity of their situations.

Greenstone remembers sitting in the classroom after school during her sophomore year, and she and her friends were engrossed in conversation. Someone else nearby who overheard part of their discussion leaned over and said, “Wow, you guys must be really good friends.”

Greenstone said the conversation they had was a testament to the lifelong friendship they built.

“There were no relationship issues or anything like that. It was really about trying to find peace,” she said.

Now as a Ph.D. A student at Northern Arizona University, Greenstone wants to develop more skills so she can share her strengths with others. She’s already doing it through her Navajo school work and volunteer work. Eventually, with another degree, she combined her lifelong understanding of Navajo culture with her academic work, fusing them with traditional beliefs and practices to help more people We want you to be able to benefit from it.

“I know the counseling services I have booked aren’t plentiful,” she said. “If we could do some of this at the time of booking, that would be really helpful.”

culture shock in college

After high school, Greenstone wanted to go to college. No one in her family completed her four-year degree.

But when she arrived at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, she experienced a profound culture shock. Having grown up in such a rural environment, she is now in the heart of the city surrounded by strangers. It was noisy, unlike the quiet place she was used to.

Her first semester was lonely, she said. She felt lonely and depressed.

Afterwards, I found a Native American student organization and met friends from various Native cultures. It’s one of the most profound experiences she’s ever had, she says.

“Until that point, I had never been more proud of my cultural identity and heritage,” she said. She never knew how much her background influenced her worldview and decision-making.

When she finally got her degree, she was excited to go home and do something meaningful. I started working with students at the Arizona Tech Institute of Vocational Education.

At her first school, she was an assistant dormitory manager. Later, she became an administrative assistant and helped NATIVE’s superintendent enhance their career technical education programs. Her job satisfied her and she still loves meeting the students she worked with.

“Sometimes when I look at these students, it’s an overwhelming feeling of love and a lot of understanding of what they’ve been through and how far they’ve come,” she said. was the best part of.”

The experience also reignited her passion to become a full-fledged school counselor, she said after seeing NAU’s doctoral program and applying. When she was accepted into a competitive program, she realized how far she had come.

“I really appreciate it,” she said. “And she remembers talking to her professor. One of the things I said was, ‘I feel like I’m exactly where I need to be right now.’

Volunteering and preparing for the future

Greenstone is currently volunteering in Flagstaff’s Northern Arizona cancer support community as part of a course of study, running a meeting group for breast cancer patients and a meeting group for Native American cancer patients.

She can give people a place to explore their cultural affinities, talk openly about their challenges, and find others who recognize and testify to their diagnosis, especially in Native American support groups. I love facilitating these discussions.

It’s a chance for people to realize they’re not alone, she says.

Reflecting on her own past, Greenstone says people don’t always want advice or solutions. They want someone to listen.

With Indigenous ancestry, she said she recognizes the importance of being aware of cultural overlaps between the philosophies she grew up with and the philosophies she is currently studying. , ceremonies, and practices involving music are all ways to practice mindfulness. Health care workers like her late father and her grandfather ask about mental illnesses as well as physical illnesses. They implicitly value the mind-body connection.

They may not have used the same terminology as Western psychology, but Greenstone realized that her elders and ancestors had incorporated important tools for well-being into their traditions.

It’s what she hopes to bring to future practice by bridging her experience with her current expertise. When she finally becomes a community counselor, she intends to.

“Having cultural identity and cultural knowledge and teachings is not a bad thing, it’s a good thing,” she said. “And it’s a source of pride, a source of strength. It’s a source of endurance.” .

“It can really guide your life, and it’s something to be very proud of.”

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Melina Walling is a general assignment reporter based in Phoenix. She is drawn to stories about interesting people, scientific discoveries, unusual creatures, and hopeful, surprising, and unexpected moments of the human experience. You can reach her by email at mwalling@gannett.com or on her Twitter. @MelinaWalling.