ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú

Tdohasan Sunray (00:00):
I chose English as a major because I've always loved writing. I don't know, I've always been around writing. I've always grew up reading my dad and my mom made sure that we were constantly investing ourselves in reading and literature and things like that. So I think it's just a really good way to let's your thoughts be known to the world and to synthesize information and yeah, it's beautiful.

Narrator (00:25):
This is Greater, We Ascend, a podcast from the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú about Loggers reaching to the heights.

Tdohasan Sunray (00:37):
Hello, my name Tdohasan Sunray. I'm Kiowa, MOWA Choctaw, and Ponca. I hail from Oklahoma. I play basketball and I run track at the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú. Yeah, so the tribal presence in and around Tacoma is huge for me. Coming from Oklahoma, there's 39 tribes in the state, so I've been raised around that and always having my native people around. So in looking at a college, I knew that I needed that environment as well around me. And Washington has a ton of tribes. I've been able to go to some of their ceremonies such as a canoe naming ceremony with the Puyallup tribe and the Muckleshoots who are gifting the Puyallup like a canoe. So that was a very different ceremony from the ones I've been to back home. But I think ceremony still has a way of appealing to the heart, like ceremony is ceremony.

(01:39):
I've also been to the powwows. They had one at the University of Washington, Seattle. I actually ran into some people back home from Oklahoma there, which is how small Indian Country is in general, which is kind of funny. But just being around native people and the different traditions and events that go on like that, it's definitely pretty comforting. And I think there's a lot of history to be learned from those people, especially if you're coming up to Tacoma. You don't even have to be native to learn about the culture around here of the native people. And I encourage that everybody does really.

(02:12):
I would say that one thing that surprised me at the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú is how the curriculum works and how diverse it can be. And not that it's just diverse, but that you actually have opportunities to engage in that diverse curriculum because a lot of schools will put out the idea that, especially liberal arts colleges, that we're a liberal arts college, and you can explore many different facets and you don't have to choose one. You can kind of combine multiple different interests. But I think ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú actually does do that. You can take classes in a bunch of different subject areas and still get your degree, and it's just a reality when it's saying that our curriculum is diverse and you can explore different areas, they mean that.

(03:06):
So, balancing the student life and the athlete life has definitely been a challenge. I think any student athlete could say that because in a way it's your job while you're up here. And obviously it's a super fun job because being able to play collegiate athletics and be a student here at these university is awesome. But time management is a huge thing. Just making sure you have the blocks set out for when you're going to practice, getting to the trainers, going to class, and also having time to do the other things that are of interest to you.

(03:41):
I think at the Division III level, it's really the perfect blend of being a student-athlete. Division I, you're pretty much just an athlete. D-II is similar to that, but D-III I think is where you can really find that balance. And that was huge for me in coming to a university. I wanted to be able to explore my other interests and still be an athlete at the same time. So it's definitely challenging, just like I said, managing time, but once you get that down, then it becomes a lot easier and more enjoyable.

(04:20):
So some of the extracurriculars I enjoy doing at the university is I had a radio show this past semester with a friend. It was sundown R&B, so we looked at R&B music across all the decades and synthesized that and shared our music interests to a lot of people. So that was really chill and just a fun time to explore something and try my hand at radio for the first time, which was a first for me.

(04:48):
Another thing I did was for this past year, I was on an acapella group, Timber Folk, so I've always had an interest in music and did choir for a little while back in high school. And so I just kind of jumped at the opportunity. I was actually at LogJam, which is our giant event that we do that introduces students to all the clubs and activities that will be happening on campus throughout the year. And I was walking by and saw Timber Folk, and they stopped me. Actually, I don't know why. I think I was probably looking at their sign pretty intently, so they were the first to speak and give me a shot, I guess.

(05:31):
But yeah, another thing outside of that, I joined the kayak club for a little bit. That was kind of short lived, but I did get the chance to go out for a little while and do some kayaking, which was a blast. They also have a rock climbing club that pairs up with one of the nearby climbing facilities, and on certain days, university students get a discount, and so you can go and just do some rock climbing. I also went on a backpacking trip and I've been on a couple of different expeditions with PSO or Puget Sound Outdoors. So like I said, this is an outdoors enthusiast's dream for a university.

(06:10):
I describe the culture at the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú as very welcoming. We have a lot of people from a lot of different places that come to Washington. I think Washington in that sense is doing a lot better than the rest of America because there's a lot of division being sown. So being in a space like this where everyone's welcomed is really cool. The campus itself, I would say a pretty quiet one. If you're going for that authentic liberal arts college feel, I would highly recommend it. I don't like a boisterous loud campus where you can't even focus on your studies. There's too much other outside noise going on. So if you're really looking for that to get down with your academics, then it's definitely a spot for sure. But again, the main thing that comes to mind when I think of Puget Sound is welcoming.

(07:06):
So one class that's really stuck out to me from this past year was my creative nonfiction class with Professor Priti Joshi. Again, that's an English class, so I'm biased. I'll probably end up picking one of those. But she actually, within the first couple of weeks of class, she reached out to me because we were reading an N. Scott Momaday book who was a Kiowa tribal member, one of omyur tribal members, Pulitzer Prize winner, the first Native American to do so. And we were reading that book. And so we got to talking a little bit about that history and what that book means to me and what it meant to her. And throughout that conversation, we came across talking about the tribes of the area in Washington, and she told me she was in the Puyallup Tribal newsletter, just to be updated on the current events and things that were going on.

(07:59):
And so she sent me a link to that. And it mentioned like I had earlier, there was a Puyallup tribal canoe naming ceremony. And so if it hadn't been for her reaching out to me and having that conversation with her, I would've never been able to attend that event. And that actually ended up being one of the coolest things for me because right when I got to Puget Sound, I got connected and put on with a bunch of different tribal members through the Puyallup Tribe. So I was able to help out at the Puyallup tribal school, Chief Leschi School over there, because of that connection. So I thank her a lot for getting me out there into Native Country, actually in Washington, which was a really cool experience. And without that conversation, I never would've had it.

(08:48):
So, how I'd describe university to people back home, I always tell them that it's very different from back home, from Oklahoma. Of course there's the politics of it, but that's not the main thing. You move to a different part of the country, and that's what it is. Every part of the country has something different to offer, but I tell them, I'm really enjoying life up here. And this is what I wanted in my college experience, was to try something new, to meet new people, do new things, and really challenge myself and grow from that, because it could have been easy or a lot easier just to stay home. And I did struggle a lot with, it's a 30-hour car ride from Washington to Oklahoma. So there was definitely in a young mind some pushback, even for myself, I was like, are you really ready to do that right now? And ultimately, with the encouragement of my parents and my family and the prospect of something new like this, we made that decision to head out there. So I tell people it's very different, but different in the best way possible.

Narrator (10:08):
Greater We Ascend is a production of the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú. This episode was produced by John Moe. Our theme music is by Skylar Hedblom, Puget Sound, class of 2025. Learn more at pugetsound.edu/greater.