ASU helps Native American high school students tap into their culture, learn about healthy food

PHOENIX — Native American students are connecting with their cultures and learning to eat healthier through a new initiative at Arizona State University.

Last week, a group of Indigenous high schoolers participated in a summer camp where they learned to make tortillas, fried chiles, and beans using healthy, locally sourced ingredients.

The cooking class took part on one day of the free, week-long program called INSPIRE. Native chef Shannon Reina taught the class, which lasted a few hours.

The class Reina taught fed into the program’s goal of teaching students healthy habits while encouraging them to explore potential careers in health-related fields.

The camp, which took place in the university’s downtown Phoenix campus, was organized by ASU’s College of Health Solutions in partnership with the Office of American Indian Initiatives.

Chef who taught ASU summer camp discusses positive impact

Reina said the goal of the class is to educate students on how their culture is tied to food, as well as how they can use healthier ingredients, like whole grain, in cultural dishes like tortillas to make them healthier.

“We do have a high rate of diabetes and so my big goal is to teach more of the youth how to eat better when they’re younger,” Reina said. “Hopefully they’ll grow up with making healthier choices and it will help prevent … diabetes, high blood pressure.”

Reina added connecting the campers with their native foods is also empowering in terms of their identity as Native American students.

Native American students benefitting from ASU summer camp

Jada Holmes is a student who participated in the class. As a member of the Tohono O’odham tribe, connecting with her roots through food is something she wants to continue in the future.

“I definitely would use it to pass on to my children or the next generation because I think food is a big part of culture as well, like fry bread … or tortillas, that’s a really big thing, especially from our past,” Holmes said.

The cooking class deepened her curiosity about the nutrients and ingredients in the cultural foods she grew up with, which helped inspire her goal of becoming a physician’s assistant.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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