For Jensen Homer, 18, the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project has been more than a place to spend time after school. It has been a place to grow — not only as an artist and mentor, but as a young Zuni leader learning how to step forward with confidence.
A senior at Ramah High School, Jensen has been part of the ZYEP community for nearly a decade. He first got involved at age 8 through the youth basketball league, and he still remembers his early teams and coaches.
“The first team I was on was the Miami Heat,” he says. “I think it was 2016. The second was the Cavaliers.”
While Jensen enjoys staying active through running and spending time outdoors, he says he has always felt drawn to the arts. He works in embroidery, drawing, jewelry making and carving, often taking on detailed, time-intensive projects.
ZYEP gave him opportunities to deepen those skills. Jensen participated in Emerging Artist Apprenticeships in Pueblo sewing and embroidery, where he completed a dress and even started taking on commissioned work.
“I still do orders today,” he says. “The biggest one I did was for the bottom of a dress for a Zuni princess [in the Zuni Royalty Organization]. It was a challenge, but it was worth it.”
Last summer, Jensen took on a new role with ZYEP. After his friend Rani encouraged him to apply, he became a Summer Camp counselor.
“I was like, I’ll give it a shot, and I ended up liking it a lot,” he says. “Just seeing everybody get along, just the vibes everybody had, and seeing all the smiles on the kids’ faces.”
That sense of connection proved to be a major highlight of the summer for Jensen, along with the sunrise hike up Mount Taylor during ZYEP’s three-day counselor retreat prior to the start of camp. He said the role also came with challenges, such as learning how to guide young campers and keep them focused, but overall the experience helped him build confidence.
“I get shy sometimes,” he explains. “Camp really helped me put myself out there.”
That growing confidence led him to yet another ZYEP program. In March, youth project staff took Jensen and five other young adults to Grand Canyon National Park on a three-night backpacking trip.
The trip gave Jensen and his peers opportunities to spend time outdoors while experiencing places of deep cultural significance — their ancestral homelands and sacred sites.
“I really wanted to go down to the river,” he says. “It was really fun, and it felt like home there.”
While Jensen says he attempted the walk down the Bright Angel Trail in cowboy boots, he switched to his lightweight Crocs about halfway down.
“It helped,” he says. “That was really getting close to our ancestors!”
As he prepares to graduate from high school, Jensen is already thinking about what comes next. He plans to attend Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, to pursue Indigenous Studies, with the long-term goal of returning to Zuni as a language teacher.
“I’ve had some really good mentors over the years, including ones at Summer Camp,” he explains. “That’s what made me want to become part of Zuni leadership.”
In the meantime, he hopes to continue working, possibly returning to Summer Camp one more time before starting college in the fall. When asked if he has any advice for other young people, Jensen keeps it simple.
“I would recommend being open-minded and willing to try something new,” he says. “Always have that positive mindset.”
He also sees ZYEP as an important resource for the community.
“They offer a lot of opportunities to kids who want to get out and try new things,” he says. “They also teach kids what they can do in their community and just to put themselves out there.”
For him, the impact is personal and ongoing, from the experiences he’s had to the people he’s met, who remain important connections in his life. And now he’s looking to the generations coming up behind him.
“Just seeing others around me grow, like my little brother,” he says. “He’s only 2 right now, so that’s what really gives me hope.”