(Maricopa,
Ariz.) The Ak-Chin Indian Community is pleased to announce
Alyssa Rene Garcia was crowned Miss Indian Arizona 2013-2014. Garcia
is the daughter of Lisa and Manuel Garcia and is the first member
of the Ak-Chin Indian Community to ever participate in the Miss
Indian Arizona Scholarship Program. She also won the best talent,
best evening wear, and was the winner of the community service award.
Garcia served as Miss Ak-Chin 2011-12 and is currently the president
of the Ak-Chin Youth Council. She is a member-at-large on the National
Congress of American Indians Youth Commission. She recently graduated
from Seton Catholic Prep and is in her first year at the University
of Arizona where she is seeking a Health Science Degree focusing
in Physiology. Her long-term goal is to attend medical school and
to become a physical therapist for her Community.
"The Ak-Chin Indian Community could not be more proud of Alyssa,"
said Ak-Chin Tribal Chairman Louis J. Manuel, Jr. "We are honored
by her commitment to the community and her dedication to education."
Garcia enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading,
listening to music, and playing sports, including the Oodham
traditional game of To:ka. For the past 10 years, she has participated
in the Ak-Chin Ba:ban Keihina Dance Group.
Garcia will now face a rigorous year of travel to many Arizona
Indian reservations and special appearances at various schools,
pow-wows and other state events. She will also travel to several
out of state events. In addition to this schedule she is expected
to maintain her school attendance which will be very challenging.
About Ak-Chin Indian Community:
The Ak-Chin Indian Community is nestled into the Santa Cruz Valley
of Southern Arizona. The Community lies 58 miles south of Phoenix
in the northwestern part of Pinal County. Ak-Chin is an O'odham
word translated to mean "mouth of the wash" or "place
where the wash loses itself in the sand or ground." Ak-Chin has
an enrollment of more than 947 tribal members and a land base of
just over 22,000 acres. For more information on the Ak-Chin Indian
Community, visit www.ak-chin.nsn.us.
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