Every spring, Brigham Young University’s Native Rights Seminar takes learning beyond the classroom and onto the road. The program culminates in a five-day journey through the homelands of Native nations, where students interact with and learn from community leaders.
Last year’s seminar led us through the lands of the Ute Mountain Ute, Navajo, Hopi, and Northwestern Band of the Shoshone peoples. At each stop, we were welcomed by tribal members and elders who shared stories of resilience, tradition, and vision for the future. These conversations became the heart of our journey. Reminders that travel is not only about seeing new places but also about listening and learning from new people.
The landscapes themselves spoke, too. Sacred mesas, sunlit canyons, and quiet valleys became part of the seminar, teaching us about connection to the earth in ways no textbook ever could. Standing in those spaces, we felt how culture and spirituality are inseparably tied to the land.
For many, the trip transformed study into relationships. By the end, the road was more than a path between destinations—it was a bridge, linking students to communities whose voices deserve greater recognition.
This journey reminds us that travel can be more than escape; it can be an education, a chance to stand on unfamiliar ground with open ears and open hearts.