By Alanna Perez, ’26

Hello, my name is Alanna Perez. I am a senior nursing major at Gannon University. This is my very first experience on an ABST with Gannon’s Center for Social Concerns. I am currently on the Navajo Nation trip in Arizona. The first day of our trip we did some sight seeing and got ourselves settled in. On day 2, we dove deep into tradition starting with a traditional sweat lodge experience. We finished the day with a presentation on a special ceremony for the Navajo Tribes and a traditional Navajo home-cooked meal. 

The Traditional Sweat Lodge experience was amazing. Our leaders here in the Navajo told us that we are the first group to come that has everyone at least try the sweat lodge! The sweat lodge experience is one that is very sacred. It is a way that the Navajos release things they are holding on internally, pray, and in a way, cleanse their souls. The experience is broken into five rounds with the last one – the Warrior Round – being the most intense! We had three students make it all the way to the end. For me, this experience was one of the most beautiful things I have done next to having children! 

The evening ended with a lesson on the women coming of age ceremony – a Kinaalda. This is a special ceremony for the Navajo. It is four days long and begins when a girl begins to menstruate. Vanessa, one of our leaders here gave us a presentation and dressed up a student. She gave us the story of her Kinaalda and her daughter, Channupa, our other guide shared her story as well. After the presentation we were given a traditional meal for dinner made by Vanessa’s daughter, Jade. The dish was yummy, it was beef and corn stew with Navajo Fry Bread. Yummy!