“I’m the youngest of 11 children and the only one to earn a college degree. When I was younger, going to college wasn’t important in my mind. In my teens and early 20s, I abused alcohol and drugs. I signed up for the military to help myself get sober. When I got out of the military, I immediately joined a karate school and started going to the gym instead of going to bars. I’ve been sober for almost 40 years now.

After the military, I struggled to secure employment, and I was getting mainly manual labor jobs. My aunt, who was a professor at the University of Utah, convinced me to consider getting a degree. She gave me the guidance and encouragement that I didn’t get from my immediate family. I applied to the U and got in. My past influenced me to go into social work, and now I work in a substance abuse treatment program.

My daughter’s mom and I were both first-generation college students. We broke that barrier, and then our daughter completed college. Now she and her husband emphasize the importance of education to their children. It’s pretty nice to know that we broke that cycle for the generations to come.

I was the first Elder in Residence at the University of Utah and I thought it was good that they [the Center for Native Excellence and Tribal Engagement] established that role. The students are not only young, but they’re also far from home and miss their relatives and traditions. The Elder in Residence attends events to offer prayer or to share cultural knowledge. And I think it’s important for students to see somebody who’s been where they are and completed college, and who can tell them they’re going to see a lot of benefits if they keep putting in the effort. They may be sacrificing a lot now, but if they can maintain their studies, they’re going to have a much brighter future.

I believe it’s important to share the cultural knowledge that we received from our elders with the next generation and other communities. If we don’t, it may get lost or we ourselves may forget about it. As a flute player and a Northern traditional dancer, I’m able to tell stories of the past and be a role model to the younger generations who may want to start doing these traditions.

The group I perform with has been fortunate to travel to different places throughout Utah, the United States, and international destinations. When the 2002 Winter Olympics came to Salt Lake, I was called upon to join the opening ceremonies as a flute player. It was very exciting for us performers to be on the world stage and express part of our Native history and culture to the world. We’re very honored to be requested to events by people who appreciate our traditions and want to bring some cultural awareness to their community.”

—Nino Reyos BS’89 MSW’91 (Laguna Pueblo and Northern Ute), 2022-23 Elder in Residence