Student voices: Cheneil Jones

Arizona's Native American population includes more than 20 federally recognized tribes. Cheneil Jones, who is a student at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, is from the Navajo Nation. She is earning an Elementary Education bachelor’s degree with a minor in Family and Human Development. She was drawn to ASU for its sense of community, its diverse student population and her desire to strengthen higher education pathways for all tribal students.

What was your experience with education growing up as part of the Navajo Nation?

The majority of my teachers were from the Navajo Nation or other tribes. This was a wonderful experience as it created a community of support that connects us through history, culture and family. Education helped me stay focused on a future that would give me opportunities to live a healthy and balanced life.

What or who inspired you to pursue a degree in education?

My mother is an educator, and through her I saw how important it was to stay in school. Seeing her dedication to being an educator made me fall in love with education. Her mother used to tell her that education will be worth it in the end. In addition, two other people were influential. One was my junior high school teacher who found fun and interesting ways to get us to understand and engage with subjects like mathematics. Sadly, she passed away during the pandemic. The second one was my class sponsor in high school who helped us navigate the college application process.

What was unique about your experience at ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College? 

When I came to ASU I had the chance to learn from people with so many different backgrounds. I started connecting with clubs and meeting people from all over the world and have found that people are interested in learning from each other in ways that make us all wiser.

I also really am grateful for the staff of MLFTC in opening up so many opportunities to me, and for their dedication to working so closely and joyfully with you. For example, right now I’m doing an internship in a classroom using team-based teaching methods with four different teachers and one main teacher so that you can really tailor teaching and learning to meet the needs of each student (through the MLFTC initiative, Next Education Workforce). This makes me see teaching in a way that is really innovative and evolving in ways that I can be part of. 

What are some of the ways Native American students can engage at ASU?

Even as I was excited about meeting people from different walks of life, I also wanted to feel connected with those who had a shared sense of identity. I found the Office of ASU American Indian Initiatives and it immediately felt like I was back home with activities that bring us together. In addition, I got involved with helping do student outreach tours at different reservations and I enjoy sharing my experiences with prospective students and helping to mentor them.

What are your future goals?

I have been thinking about the future a lot. I have always planned on going back to my community to give back. As I consider what that means, I also see that there are many different paths to getting to that goal. I could keep growing and learning here, maybe get more experience in special education, or maybe I go back to the community and teach first. Either way, I see myself finding ways for me to take back my experiences from here to the nation so that future generations can also find their own path for what they want to be and become.  

Student voices at MLFTC is an ongoing series featuring students at ASU's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.