ABSTRACT
Bellson is a parent and community member in Zuni. As a result of her Zuni: Engaging Teachers and Community (ZETAC) participation, Bellson is a community activist, especially in the area of voting rights and encouraging young people in Zuni to register to vote and to participate in elections. Bellson chose to leave Zuni to be educated in Utah and be raised by a Mormon foster family. She describes her experience of being displaced and that every step of her journey was about self-discovery and self-acceptance. She acknowledges that this experience strengthened her to return to Zuni, at age 21, because she had learned to adapt, be flexible, and appreciate her culture’s teachings, and because she was ready to give back. As an adult with a family, she has realized that she has overcome many struggles and adversities. Through ZETAC she has learned to turn negatives into positives by using her personal experiences to create positive professional opportunities. By building respectful communication and building trust, she and her sister (Valarie Bellson) have been able to give back to their community through volunteering. Through ZETAC, she believes she has become innovative, exceptional, and extremely proud of being a Zuni woman.
