First Peoples Native Center
The First Peoples Native Center functions as both a cultural hub for the campus and a dedicated support program for self-identifying Native American and Indigenous students. Rooted in Indigenous healing frameworks, the Native Center honors the holistic well-being of students and provides academic guidance that recognizes cultural identity as a necessity for academic achievements. Simultaneously, as a cornerstone of campus education, the Native Center fosters institutional growth by offering insights into Indigenous sovereignty and traditional knowledge. By bridging ancestral wisdom with modern scholarship, we nurture a community where students are empowered to thrive as scholars and as sovereign people, ensuring their educational journey is a path of reclamation and resilience.
Click on the link below if you are interested in staying connected and keeping involved with the First Peoples Native Center community.
Would you like to donate to the First Peoples Native Center? Visit our Foundation website to learn about financial opportunities and donate to our First Peoples Native Center scholarship or donate to our Center.
The Native American Student Support & Success Program (NASSSP) Grant is a state funded grant program under the California Community College Chancellor’s Office.
Mt. SAC Land Acknowledgement
Mt. San Antonio College acknowledges and recognizes that the land in which we occupy is the unceded ancestral territory of the Gabrielino-Shoshone, Gabrielino-Tongva, and Gabrielino-Kizh nations, the Indigenous peoples of this region since time immemorial. Mt. San Antonio College is located near the Gabrielino village of Pemookangna, known today as the city of Walnut.
We recognize the Gabrielino people have suffered an immense loss of their people, culture, lands, water, and other natural resources due to the theft, murder, kidnapping, and enslavement. These injustices started with colonization, and most Indigenous people consider colonization a current and ongoing process.
Despite the atrocities and injustices committed against the original caretakers of this land, the Gabrielino remain to be a thriving community and continue to practice their traditions, heritage, sovereignty, self-determination, and spiritual relationship to their land. The nations that make up the Gabrielino community continue to work to protect their sacred ways and homelands for future generations. Their descendants are a testament to the resilience and strength of the indigenous peoples that call this land their ancestral home.
The Gabrielino view this land as a source of healing, nourishment, and protection. As students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Mt. San Antonio College, we honor the Gabrielino people by acknowledging their legacy and current lived experiences.
We recognize this land acknowledgement as an opportunity for Mt. SAC to advocate for Indigenous students through support of the First Peoples Native Center and continued learning and shared knowledge for Native American and Indigenous peoples.
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- Mt. San Antonio College First Peoples Native Center, https://www.mtsac.edu/fpnc/ | fpnc@mtsac.edu
- Jamie Rocha, Gabrielino-Shoshone Nation of Southern California | jrocha@gabrielinoshoshone.org
Updated June 2025
Fall & Spring Semester Hours:
M-Th 8:00A.M. - 5:00P.M.,
Fri. 8:00A.M. - 4:30P.M.
Seasonal Hours:
M-Th 8:00A.M.- 5:00P.M.,
Fri. Closed
Building 16E, 1132
(909) 274-4429
fpnc@mtsac.edu
www.mtsac.edu/fpnc
