Graciela “Zonnie” Olivas, AS

University of Arizona
Major: Public Health
Minor: Pre-Health Thematic Minor
Undergraduate - Bachelor of Science
Certificate in Developmental Disabilities; 2018 Diversity Fellow

Yá’át’ééh shí éí Zonnie Olivas yinishyé. Hashk'ąą Hadzohí nishłi Naakai dine'é báshíshchíín Naakai dine'é ei dashinalí dóó Tsénjikíní ei daschicheii.

My name is Graciela “Zonnie” Olivas. I am yucca fruit strung out in a line clan born for the Mexican people clan. My paternal grandmother's clan is the Mexican people clan and my maternal grandfather's clan is the cliff dwellers people clan. This is my introduction in my Navajo language and represents an important part of my cultural identity.

I am a senior at the University of Arizona and will soon complete my Bachelor of Science in Public Health. I aspire to then obtain a Master of Public Health degree and ultimately complete a doctoral program in epidemiology. My goal has always been to use my education to serve my Native people and improve the health and wellbeing of tribal communities. I am a current SUCEDD undergraduate certificate student, yet have been a SUCEDD intern and trainee since 2017. Under the guidance of Dr. Julie Armin, my work focuses on the development of policy recommendations that will increase inclusion by improving the UCEDD’s cultural and linguistic competence (CLC). Using my experience as a SUCEDD trainee, I aim to continue to be a disability advocate by educating professionals outside of the disability field and ensure that the experience of those with disabilities is represented within research, health care, and health policy. In the context of public health, it is crucial that the lived experience of disability is heard, and public health professionals acknowledge and respond directly to the environmental determinants that impact the quality of life for individuals with a disability.