Celebrating diversity
22-23 ANNUAL FOUNDATION IMPACT REPORT

Alumni, donors, and the Diversity Affairs vice president continued their support of FLC's inclusive Skyhawks community through the Diversity Affairs Impact Fund.

Diversity Affairs supports affinity groups on campus, such as the Black Student Resource Center, Native American Center, El Centro de Muchos Colores, and the Gender & Sexuality Resource Center.

The 2023 NAAC hosted its annual alumni breakfast during The Hozhoni Days Powwow and sponsored student-centered events such as the Powwow, FLC's Pueblo Feast Days, and a networking lunch at the Native American Center.

FLC's American Indigenous Business Leaders chapter fosters leadership skills, provides educational resources, and creates networking opportunities for its members to promote economic development, entrepreneurship, and sustainable business practices within Indigenous communities across the United States. 

In April 2023, the FLC AIBL chapter netted three first-place wins in the university-track division at the 2023 National American Indigenous Business Leaders Leadership Conference in Las Vegas. The team won the Business Plan and Chapter of the Year competitions, and Michael Valdez, professor of Management, was recognized as the Faculty Advisor of the Year.

The team focused on Wakhalyapf Coffee for the Business Plan Competition this year. Started in 2021, the company was founded by Devyn Valandra, a citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and a junior studying Entrepreneurship & Small Business. Valandra joined AIBL this year after finding success at campus events and in the microgrant pitch competition at the FLC Center for Innovation. The conference presented opportunities for him and the rest of AIBL to showcase an Indigenous approach to coffee.