Help send Sariel to Berkeley

eʔ p esya̓ʔ

Sariel Sandoval łu i skʷest

čn eslʔupn smx̣ʷop

či se̓liš, qlispé, u ox̣ʷiceʔ

tl̓ ocqʔetkʷ u či sqelixʷ

Hello everyone, My name is Sariel Sandoval and I am 20 years old.

I am Bitterroot Salish, Upper Pend d’Oreille, and Dine' of the Bitterwater Clan. I am from Ronan, MT and reside on the Flathead Reservation.

I would like to thank everyone who has supported me this far! I began my journey at UC Berkeley in the Fall of 2021 and was only able to do so because of community members and kind folks who saw my potential. After learning of the towering expenses of an out-of-state student at Cal, I felt like attending Berkeley was nothing more than a dream. But I was not ready to give up just yet. I started a GoFundMe to help pay for my schooling and with the tremendous support- I was able to make my educational journey a dream come true.

Now that I am in my third year as an Applied Mathematics major, minoring in Native American Studies at the #1 public university, I am reaching out once again for your support and any financial assistance.

My first year was a rollercoaster of emotions as leaving home for the first time was a drastic change. The first semester I experienced a tremendous culture shock as I was far from my family, friends, community, and land. And because of this low, my grades and GPA were affected. During winter break, I took the time to heal and adjust to the fast pace of UC Berkeley and the Bay Area environment- going back to school ready to succeed.

Since then, I have found a community here on campus at the Indigenous and Native Coalition (INC)- a student-run retention and recruitment center! Starting as a general body member, I saw the work that INC does to help support Native students and wanted to be a part of the cause, so in my second year, I became the data analyst and Finance coordinator for the group. As a third-year, I have earned the position of Retention coordinator where I will be focusing my work on INC’s 2023 Powwow, the first since COVID-19.

Alongside INC, I have an internship at the Native Community Center through the Native American Student Development program where I will be starting my second year as an intern.

This last summer I interned at williamsworks- a wonderful company with a fierce commitment to centering community and social change. My time here helped build my skills and intensify my passion for community service- something I have felt strongly about since I was young, whether that was through making masks for my community during the peak of COVID-19 or volunteering at my tribe's clinic. I am also passionate about Climate Change and am involved with Held v. State of Montana as one of the sixteen plaintiffs advocating that Montanan's constitutional rights to a clean and healthy environment are upheld! As of June 2023, we won the case!

Although I have made progress and am continuing my education at UC Berkeley, the scholarships do not add up to the alarming 70k out-of-state tuition which I cannot afford with assistance. I am turning to the community for help because even though I have taken all the necessary steps to achieve my academic goals- I am still weighed down by the tremendous expenses.

Any and all help is appreciated, whether that is a donation of $1, $10, or even a share on your social media pages.

Le̓mlmtš! (Thank you)