Autobiography
My name is Mykell Sky Arviso-Yazza, I go by Sky because people tend to slaughter my name at attempts to pronounce it. I was born to Samantha Thomas and Michael Arviso-Yazza on November 14th, 1997. I was the first grandchild and my parents first child and I got bonus points because I was part Navajo. My mother is a white woman and my father a Navajo man. I don’t remember much of baby and toddler life. In March 1999, my kid sister Myryka was born. At that point, she was the fourth grandbaby. At least I had a baby sister, someone that I could count on when things started to get bad.
My biological father had drug addictions, my parents struggled with money and making ends meet with two young children because Michael could not keep a job. At times, we struggled so bad that we had to move in with my grandparents. You see, my father drug addictions were horrible. He would constantly abuse alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine and god knows what else. He would also become violent with my mother and not be around physically or mentally. So, I feel like my mother raised us on her own. I am not sure how old I was, but we ended up in a domestic shelter for women and children. I didn’t know my father that well, but I know that I would not be where I am and who I am now if he was still around.
On November 9th, 2001, Michael decided to take his own life. At the age I was when this happened, four, my mother told me that he got really sick and passed away. I didn’t find out the way he passed until I was in sixth grade. During this time of my life, I don’t remember anything. I don’t remember the funeral or who I sat by while they lowered his casket into the ground, I only have the stories that my mom tells me to create the picture. Every now and then my mother and grandmother will talk about what a wonderful man he was when he was sober. I don't hate him, I just think that it was selfish what he did. Every now and the I think about where I would be if he was still around. Honestly, I probably wouldn't be in such a positive environment.
After he passed away, the only father figure I had was my grandpa Kevin Thomas. He took such good care of us. He would take us to our family’s ranch because we couldn’t afford it, those were some of the best trips that we went on. I had so much respect for the man, especially after I found out what he did for my mom. I never knew how important he was in our lives until a story that my mother shared with me. He took care of us when we needed it the most.
The years after that were hard for my family but mostly for my mom. From supporting a family of three on her own to moving many times. While moving around, I attended Hillcrest High School for preschool and East Sandy Elementary for kindergarten. When we finally settled down in our little duplex, I started first grade a Copperview Elementary School, the perks to this was that I got to go to school with my cousins. My mother thought it would be good for my sister and I to join a Girl Scout Troop, she was right. I ended up being in two troops for ten years. I learned so many things that are beneficial for me today like, how to start a fire, manners, how to work well with others and how to help those in need.
In my first grade year, my mom ran into her old best friend named Dewain Winget. Again, I didn’t remember anything besides that my mom made me sit in the car and that she had bright purple hair and the guy she was talking to has orange hair and a funny beard. I had no idea what was going on, I just wanted to get out of the car. One day, he showed up at my house. I still didn’t know who he was until my mom said his name was Dewain. I didn’t care, just as long as he gave horsey back rides and could draw with me. I ended up becoming very fond of that man with the orange hair. The best part about this man, is that he has a daughter who was a few years younger than my sister and I, her name is Sierra.
Within a few months, they fell in love. Within a year, they were to be married. I was so excited, I was going to have a new dad and another little sister. After the wedding, my mom and new dad rented out a house that was right across the street from my aunt and uncle in West Jordan. I got to go to a new elementary school called Jim Bridger Elementary with a very nice teacher. To top everything that happened, my mother got pregnant with my kid brother. His name is Gager.
I attended Jefferson Junior High School for my seventh and eighth grade years. I can honestly say that I have no memories about those years because those were the worst years of my life, I think that it was a time of my life that I blocked out. I was bullied, I found out that my grandfather had cancer. I felt like I had nothing and that everything good in my life went up in flames. To top it off, I was so alone.
On January 30th, 2012, I lost the one man that has been there for me since I was born, my grandpa. When I received the news, everything around me shattered and I went into a denial. I sat there not thinking of anything that was around me. My grandpa was gone and I had no idea how I felt or what was going on. I was in a daze for the month of February. We had the viewing, and the funeral a week after his passing. I have never seen so many people attend a funeral like as many that attended his. He was a special man and everyone knew it.
A few months after the funeral, I got a letter for AMES. I applied and got accepted a few months later. I finally got to start over and figure myself out. I attended freshman house and made two friends named Monica and Daniel. We all got very close and eventually made more friends. Even though I was at a different school, I was still bullied and I still felt as bad as I did at my junior high. I would felt so low that I began to fall behind in school. Towards the end of my freshman year, I felt better about myself and I was grateful for the friends that I made. That was the summer that I knew I was going to heal myself and that everything was going to be good.
Luckily, school started again and I focused on that more. I got my driver's license and I had my own car. Sophomore year was way better than my school year before. I had an English teacher name Bigelow and he was amazing. He was such a good teacher, he made English fun again. I had classes I enjoyed being in and I had friends that cared about me. I did well in school and I was so happy.
The summer before Junior year was the best summer of my life. Most of my friends could drive and we all had late curfews. We would do movie nights and bonfires, we were all there for one another. This was the summer that me, Zack, Sienna, and Max got the closest, there was rarely a week or weekend that we weren’t together. Then junior year started, and everyone began to fade away from one another. Zack started to date Claire, Max started to date Hannah, and Sienna and Dakota got together. I was happy for them, but I felt like I had no one. That’s when I realized that Giselle was the realest friend I’ve had since going to AMES. That is when I knew we were going to become closer. This was the year that I finally got to figure myself out to an extent.
During my junior year, I got an internship to assist my dental hygienist. This is when I knew for sure that I wanted to go into the dental field. While I was there, I got to clean the teeth and also assist with dental procedures like wisdom teeth extractions. I never knew that I was going to become so interested in teeth. I am planning to go to SLCC to get my generals over with and then transfer to Dixie for their hygienist program.
The summer before my senior year was also an amazing summer. I got to travel some states with my great, great aunt and uncle, I got to go to my ranch for a week and see my family, my nana Jane and aunt Mary came to stay with us, and I got to go to California go to Disneyland for the first time ever. I got to do so much in those trips that I will never forget. Over that summer, I just kept think that senior year was going to be the best year of my life.
My senior year was all over the place. I did well for the first two terms and had very good grades. I felt more like an adult because I was taking University of Utah classes. My friends and I got very close again and we were all getting along. When second semester came, I lost my great grandpa. My grades started to slip because I wanted to be home with my mother to comfort her with our lost. It hit our family very hard because we were so close to him. Luckily, I was able to catch up with all the work I missed, make up some tests and get my grades up. My Nana Jane and grandpa Richard came up to visit us with gifts for my sister and I. My nana made me a traditional Navajo dress and brought my buckskin moccasins. That made me feel close to my culture and made me feel more Navajo than I ever had. I started to feel like I was getting a better insight of who I am and where I have came from. My fourth term is much better than my third and I am so grateful that I am able to enjoy my last months of high school. Due to the stress that I felt while I was living at home, I have moved out. I am currently living with my grandma and I can honestly say that it has helped so much. It has made the rest of the year enjoyable.
When I was a freshman I used to dream about getting out of here, now that my senior year is close to an end I realize that high school was the best years of my life. I am excited for everything that my life has to offer me. I have been through a lot in my life and I have had lessons that not everyone has the opportunity to have. I have grown so much as a person and I know what I need to do in order to succeed in my life.
My biological father had drug addictions, my parents struggled with money and making ends meet with two young children because Michael could not keep a job. At times, we struggled so bad that we had to move in with my grandparents. You see, my father drug addictions were horrible. He would constantly abuse alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine and god knows what else. He would also become violent with my mother and not be around physically or mentally. So, I feel like my mother raised us on her own. I am not sure how old I was, but we ended up in a domestic shelter for women and children. I didn’t know my father that well, but I know that I would not be where I am and who I am now if he was still around.
On November 9th, 2001, Michael decided to take his own life. At the age I was when this happened, four, my mother told me that he got really sick and passed away. I didn’t find out the way he passed until I was in sixth grade. During this time of my life, I don’t remember anything. I don’t remember the funeral or who I sat by while they lowered his casket into the ground, I only have the stories that my mom tells me to create the picture. Every now and then my mother and grandmother will talk about what a wonderful man he was when he was sober. I don't hate him, I just think that it was selfish what he did. Every now and the I think about where I would be if he was still around. Honestly, I probably wouldn't be in such a positive environment.
After he passed away, the only father figure I had was my grandpa Kevin Thomas. He took such good care of us. He would take us to our family’s ranch because we couldn’t afford it, those were some of the best trips that we went on. I had so much respect for the man, especially after I found out what he did for my mom. I never knew how important he was in our lives until a story that my mother shared with me. He took care of us when we needed it the most.
The years after that were hard for my family but mostly for my mom. From supporting a family of three on her own to moving many times. While moving around, I attended Hillcrest High School for preschool and East Sandy Elementary for kindergarten. When we finally settled down in our little duplex, I started first grade a Copperview Elementary School, the perks to this was that I got to go to school with my cousins. My mother thought it would be good for my sister and I to join a Girl Scout Troop, she was right. I ended up being in two troops for ten years. I learned so many things that are beneficial for me today like, how to start a fire, manners, how to work well with others and how to help those in need.
In my first grade year, my mom ran into her old best friend named Dewain Winget. Again, I didn’t remember anything besides that my mom made me sit in the car and that she had bright purple hair and the guy she was talking to has orange hair and a funny beard. I had no idea what was going on, I just wanted to get out of the car. One day, he showed up at my house. I still didn’t know who he was until my mom said his name was Dewain. I didn’t care, just as long as he gave horsey back rides and could draw with me. I ended up becoming very fond of that man with the orange hair. The best part about this man, is that he has a daughter who was a few years younger than my sister and I, her name is Sierra.
Within a few months, they fell in love. Within a year, they were to be married. I was so excited, I was going to have a new dad and another little sister. After the wedding, my mom and new dad rented out a house that was right across the street from my aunt and uncle in West Jordan. I got to go to a new elementary school called Jim Bridger Elementary with a very nice teacher. To top everything that happened, my mother got pregnant with my kid brother. His name is Gager.
I attended Jefferson Junior High School for my seventh and eighth grade years. I can honestly say that I have no memories about those years because those were the worst years of my life, I think that it was a time of my life that I blocked out. I was bullied, I found out that my grandfather had cancer. I felt like I had nothing and that everything good in my life went up in flames. To top it off, I was so alone.
On January 30th, 2012, I lost the one man that has been there for me since I was born, my grandpa. When I received the news, everything around me shattered and I went into a denial. I sat there not thinking of anything that was around me. My grandpa was gone and I had no idea how I felt or what was going on. I was in a daze for the month of February. We had the viewing, and the funeral a week after his passing. I have never seen so many people attend a funeral like as many that attended his. He was a special man and everyone knew it.
A few months after the funeral, I got a letter for AMES. I applied and got accepted a few months later. I finally got to start over and figure myself out. I attended freshman house and made two friends named Monica and Daniel. We all got very close and eventually made more friends. Even though I was at a different school, I was still bullied and I still felt as bad as I did at my junior high. I would felt so low that I began to fall behind in school. Towards the end of my freshman year, I felt better about myself and I was grateful for the friends that I made. That was the summer that I knew I was going to heal myself and that everything was going to be good.
Luckily, school started again and I focused on that more. I got my driver's license and I had my own car. Sophomore year was way better than my school year before. I had an English teacher name Bigelow and he was amazing. He was such a good teacher, he made English fun again. I had classes I enjoyed being in and I had friends that cared about me. I did well in school and I was so happy.
The summer before Junior year was the best summer of my life. Most of my friends could drive and we all had late curfews. We would do movie nights and bonfires, we were all there for one another. This was the summer that me, Zack, Sienna, and Max got the closest, there was rarely a week or weekend that we weren’t together. Then junior year started, and everyone began to fade away from one another. Zack started to date Claire, Max started to date Hannah, and Sienna and Dakota got together. I was happy for them, but I felt like I had no one. That’s when I realized that Giselle was the realest friend I’ve had since going to AMES. That is when I knew we were going to become closer. This was the year that I finally got to figure myself out to an extent.
During my junior year, I got an internship to assist my dental hygienist. This is when I knew for sure that I wanted to go into the dental field. While I was there, I got to clean the teeth and also assist with dental procedures like wisdom teeth extractions. I never knew that I was going to become so interested in teeth. I am planning to go to SLCC to get my generals over with and then transfer to Dixie for their hygienist program.
The summer before my senior year was also an amazing summer. I got to travel some states with my great, great aunt and uncle, I got to go to my ranch for a week and see my family, my nana Jane and aunt Mary came to stay with us, and I got to go to California go to Disneyland for the first time ever. I got to do so much in those trips that I will never forget. Over that summer, I just kept think that senior year was going to be the best year of my life.
My senior year was all over the place. I did well for the first two terms and had very good grades. I felt more like an adult because I was taking University of Utah classes. My friends and I got very close again and we were all getting along. When second semester came, I lost my great grandpa. My grades started to slip because I wanted to be home with my mother to comfort her with our lost. It hit our family very hard because we were so close to him. Luckily, I was able to catch up with all the work I missed, make up some tests and get my grades up. My Nana Jane and grandpa Richard came up to visit us with gifts for my sister and I. My nana made me a traditional Navajo dress and brought my buckskin moccasins. That made me feel close to my culture and made me feel more Navajo than I ever had. I started to feel like I was getting a better insight of who I am and where I have came from. My fourth term is much better than my third and I am so grateful that I am able to enjoy my last months of high school. Due to the stress that I felt while I was living at home, I have moved out. I am currently living with my grandma and I can honestly say that it has helped so much. It has made the rest of the year enjoyable.
When I was a freshman I used to dream about getting out of here, now that my senior year is close to an end I realize that high school was the best years of my life. I am excited for everything that my life has to offer me. I have been through a lot in my life and I have had lessons that not everyone has the opportunity to have. I have grown so much as a person and I know what I need to do in order to succeed in my life.