Palomar College Re-Opens Native American Resource Center

Mar 5, 2026

An image of ipay Nation of Santa Ysabel Tribal Chairman Kevin Osuna, Palomar College Governing Board Trustee Roberto Rodriguez, Palomar College Interim Superintendent/President Dr. Tina Recalde, Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel Tribal Councilmember Vanessa Vargas, Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel Tribal Councilmember Arnold Durbin, Palomar College Governing Board Secretary Dr. Judy Patacsil, Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians Vice Chairwoman Jamie LaChappa, San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians Tribal Chairman Stephen W. Cope, NSPIRE Program Coordinator Emelia Gregor, and Executive Director of the Rincon Indian Education Center Hunwut Turner

SAN MARCOS, CA (March 4, 2026) – Palomar College reopened its Native American Resource Center with a celebration theme of “Inspiring Native Student Success – Honoring Roots, Empowering Futures.”   

“The Native American Resource Center is more than a physical space. It is a place where students, faculty and staff can build community, feel seen and valued, and bring their full selves into their Palomar journey,” said Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Student Services, Nicholas Mata. 

The Center will also be the home of NSPIRE (Native Student Support Program for Inclusion, Resilience, and Education), a program dedicated to supporting Native student success through connection, mentorship, cultural affirmation, and holistic support. Together, this space and the NSPIRE program create a strong foundation for belonging, empowerment, and achievement for Native students at Palomar College.

The history of serving Native American students at Palomar College dates back to the 1960s when the Native American Student Alliance (NASA) was first established. At the time, Native students worked with administration to bring forward their concerns around curriculum, cultural recognition and acknowledgment as a resilient student population.

The keynote remarks by Palomar alumnus and former NASA Club president Hunwut Turner, a member of the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, illuminated these early challenges.  He was a student in the 1990s and was the lone Native football player.  It wasn’t until he met Native professors who encouraged him to get involved in NASA that he found a sense of belonging.  NASA collaborated with other Native students at other colleges and universities, providing opportunities to participate in cultural events on and off campus.

 “Getting an education means more than just earning credits,” Turner said. “It meant the possibility of getting off the reservation, seeing the world, getting a good job, and then bringing that knowledge back home to our Tribes. Education became a tool for survival, for sovereignty, and for responsibility.”

Tribal Elder Chris Devers, from the Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians, offered a traditional blessing at the start of the celebration and Palomar College Dean of Student Success, Equity and Counseling Services Dr. Leslie Salas recited the Palomar College Land Acknowledgement.

Palomar College established the American Indian Studies department in the mid-1970’s, making Palomar one of the first community colleges in the United States to do so.  The department offers a Certificate of Achievement in American Indian Studies.  Capitalizing on this history, Palomar College was awarded the Native American Student Support and Success Program Grant (NASSSP) by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.  The grant funds aided in the development of the NSPIRE program, which will be housed in the Center.

“As we reopen this Center today, we honor not just a building, but a promise that Native students at Palomar College will always have a place where they belong. Looking forward, the NSPIRE Program represents the newest evolution of that promise,” said Emelia (Emy) Gregor, Student Support Program Coordinator for NSPIRE. 

For more information, please visit the NSPIRE website.