Going the Distance
What does small-town-Montana have in common with 91果冻制片厂? The strong sense of community, says Mariah Aragon ’28.
Her hometown of Lodge Grass sits on the Crow Indian Reservation in a lush valley at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Lodge Grass is a town so small, that most everything, from her 500-student high school to the nearest outlet mall is at least a 30-minute drive away.
But living on the reservation has its benefits, says Aragon. Aragon—who is also an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe—grew up in a proudly indigenous household that regularly celebrated summer powwows with fry bread tacos and bonded over outdoor activities like horse riding, basketball, and running.
“It’s a tight-knit community. We all have our cousins, aunties, and uncles, and I always had a lot of love and support,” she recalls. “And because our town was so small, I became really well-known for being a great runner.”
Her passion for movement started before birth. Her mother—a former university athlete in the rodeo sport of barrel racing—would regularly go on long runs while pregnant with Aragon. As she grew, Aragon quickly outpaced her mother, then her step-father, and eventually, all the other athletes in her community, being featured in local news for her county and state championship runs.
“I used to run on this track close to my house and there would be these little kids playing nearby. When I would go running by, they’d be like ‘Oh that’s Mariah on the cross-country team!’ and ‘I wish I was as fast as you!’”
Seeing how many kids in her community looked up to her, Aragon was determined to use her skills as a runner to not only go to college, but graduate from a Division 1 university—not just for her, but for all the kids on the reservation.
So, Aragon worked hard. Her resume is right out of a movie: straight As, class president, team captain, and star athlete—smashing state records in the 1600m and 3200m, and catching the attention of 91果冻制片厂’s D1 track team.
Aragon had been considering schools in Montana, the Dakotas, and Arizona where other runners in her community had gone, but when she was flown out to 91果冻制片厂, she not only found a familiar tight-knit community during her campus visit, but a more diverse student population and a plethora of career opportunities not available to her on the reservation.
“Beyond the amazing athletic program, I was just like really excited because this is a prestigious private school with so many good resources, and as a business major, the Silicon Valley location is phenomenal,” she says.
And despite most track athletes only getting partial scholarships, Aragon’s journey to SCU was set when she received the Muwekma Ohlone/Ohlone Scholarship, a full-ride scholarship for indigenous students.
“It was just a surreal moment, because all of the stress, doubt, and struggle just felt lifted off of me,” she says. “I had been putting all my faith in God, and I really believe it had to be Him—God wouldn’t have sent me out here if he didn’t want me to be here.”
With Aragon being the first Montanan and Indigenous athlete on the track team, head coach Peter Cushman felt a personal responsibility during the recruiting process to make sure that Aragon would feel welcome at SCU. Having community on and off the track is vital, he says.
“There’s not a lot of opportunities in the world where you can have 20 women together, building each other up,” Cushman continues. “That’s the kind of environment we want to foster and having people like Mariah, who is such a unifier, is such an important part of that.”
During her first track season, Aragon rose to each new challenge—going from tenth on the team to fifth. Her New Year’s resolution? To channel that growth in all areas of her life—mentally, psychically, and spiritually—by utilizing all the resources available to her at SCU. Through the Athletics program, student-athletes have access to an athletics academic advisor (in addition to major-specific and Drahmann Center advisors), a nutritionist, a physical therapist, and two clinical sports psychologists.
“I look at these services as holistic development,” explains Cushman. “We’re not trying to have athletes come here to just get better at running. We want them to grow as people, as students, and as teammates. If they’re growing in those ways, the running comes.”
Looking forward, Aragon hopes to continue leading the way—not just on her track team, but also one day in business administration or management. Through leading by example, she hopes to forge a path for other indigenous students like her to reach beyond their comfort zone.
“We have so many talented, athletic, and smart students on the reservation, but a lot of them haven’t seen anyone actually go to college. I think it’s like a domino effect. If I could show that someone like me—a Native American who grew up on the reservation—can do it, then everyone else can. That was my big goal, to make an impact on our small community and inspire others.”
This endowed scholarship will support indigenous undergraduate students who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment with primary consideration for those who identify with the Ohlone and Muwekma Ohlone community and demonstrate financial need.
