50th Anniversary of Women’s Athletics: Lopez Helps Strengthen Native Nations Through Education

In honor of National Native American Heritage Month in November, we caught up with alumna Carmen Lopez '97 of volleyball, who was also a member and two-time captain of the first fully-funded varsity volleyball team at Dartmouth. Here is her story.

Growing up in the Southwestern United States, Carmen Lopez could have never imagined herself coming to Hanover, New Hampshire for college.

Lopez, whose maiden name was Schmitt, was raised in the Navajo Nation – a reservation that occupies portions of northeast Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah.

"It's a unique upbringing and I had a grounding culturally from the traditional side of Navajo ways," said Lopez. "Later on, I ended up being able to travel. I got a chance to attend Cushing Academy, a New England preparatory school in Massachusetts."

Going to Cushing Academy, coupled with meeting Dartmouth alumna, Dr. Lori Alvord, helped pave Lopez's path to Dartmouth. Alvord first introduced Lopez to the prestigious Ivy League institution in the woods of New Hampshire.

"In 11th grade, I attended our tribal school, the Navajo Preparatory School and that's when Lori came to speak with us," said Lopez. "She was the first Navajo woman to become a surgeon. She planted the seed for this place called Dartmouth.

"I wanted to be like that woman – a doctor," Lopez continued. "I wanted to follow in her footsteps."

In many ways, everything has come full circle for Lopez. Today, Lopez is passionate about making a difference in others' lives through education.

One way in which she makes a difference is as Executive Director of the College Horizons program. The nonprofit organization supports the college and graduate school goals of Native American students through workshops and other efforts to increase college access.

"One goal within higher education is to expose and build a team of people with all sorts of talents and skills to contribute to that community," said Lopez. "That's at the heart of what College Horizons is doing. We're helping enrich our college campuses and the experience of all the students on campus through such different ways of thinking."

As Lopez explained, these Native American students just need to be themselves.

"They are amazing and brilliant," she said. "They bring their indigenous knowledge systems to a place like a Dartmouth or any other Western institution. When you bring those world views together, indigenous students don't need to choose one. They don't have to leave who they are behind when they're accessing our western institutions.

"They can fully be themselves and bring all of who they are to that campus."

Lopez's upbringing and Native American heritage have greatly influenced who she is today.

"My family is from a very rural remote area of Northern Arizona," she said. "There are no street signs. My father (who is non-native) built a traditional hogan — a one-room dwelling with a dirt floor, no electricity, no water — for my mother. We chopped wood, had a garden and had animals and livestock."

Lopez's family later moved off reservation when she was in the sixth grade.

"My father is German and Italian," said Carmen. "As a young man, he was doing a Ph.D. project out on the Navajo reservation and that's how he met my mother and began our family. He was following the cultural norms in raising us.

"My parents moving off reservation was for more educational opportunities for their children," Lopez continued. "I'm one of six kids, so they were interested in investing in those types of experiences."

As Executive Director of College Horizons, Lopez can relate to the educational challenges that are still very present on the Navajo reservation, something that became even more apparent with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing school to become virtual.

"Around 70 percent of indigenous students could not access internet in order to attend K through 12 online," she said. "The infrastructure wasn't even there in our rural communities. The disparities that native students continue to face on reservations, in particular K through 12, are still very wide. Similar to when I was a kid with no electricity and running water, there are still students who come from homes like that.

"And it's not always by choice," Lopez continued. "It's just that it hasn't been built up for them."

Lopez believes one takeaway from the pandemic was exposing this very thing.

"It revealed it to colleges in the admissions process, to say they cannot access the internet to take the ACT or SAT for their requirements to apply to their colleges," she said.

"We're not there yet," Lopez continued. "With an organization like College Horizons, little conversations can lead to big changes for a student. That is where I can relate to current youth. I'm going to open the doors as wide as I can to help them get those opportunities."

Cushing Academy played an integral role in Lopez's opportunities, which only happened because the head of her school met the head of Cushing Academy at a conference.

"The headmaster asked to send a couple students to Cushing as a one-way exchange," said Lopez. "I was one of three from my school selected my junior year to go that spring. It was a culture shock, but I was with two other classmates, so I didn't feel totally isolated."

Lopez acclimated and enjoyed her time.

"I studied so hard, and I was also a big basketball player," said Lopez.

When Lopez came home to New Mexico for the summer, her parents asked what she thought.

"I was being positive saying thank you, good time, good experience, met new friends," she said. "And my parents said, 'We're glad to hear that because we're sending you back for your senior year.'

"I was actually mad, upset, devastated because I had a state champion basketball team I had built towards [in New Mexico]," Lopez continued. "All of a sudden, I'm going out to New England for the full academic year. But that was my parents again saying education is a really key opportunity, and a priority for their kids."

Lopez's parents were right as Cushing would be a precursor to Dartmouth. Carmen's counselor at Cushing, Edward Wall, helped Lopez navigate the college selection process.

"I remember weekly meetings with him, asking my interests, talking about different colleges and building my list," said Lopez. "He'd give me huge lists of schools and we'd cross ones off, but Dartmouth was always on my list."

Wall took Lopez to campus for her first visit.

"Dartmouth became a reality in the fall of my senior year, once I got to visit campus and meet with different Native American students," said Lopez. "The school was in a small rural area, which I liked. Having attended Cushing, also in a small New England Massachusetts town, I could see myself at Dartmouth."

While at Dartmouth, Lopez joined the volleyball team.

"I have to say, volleyball was always my second sport," she said. "There was less pressure because it was that second sport I played for enjoyment and fun. We also had a state championship team at Navajo Prep for volleyball, but it didn't have the same type of intensity or pressure from within me.

"When I looked into the basketball and volleyball teams at Dartmouth, I initially thought I could walk onto the basketball team and that was early in Coach (Chris) Wielgus' tenure," Lopez continued. "She was gracious and said to come out to practices and play with the team."

While this was happening, Lopez also learned about the volleyball team.

"Coach Wielgus was great, but said I would have to choose one sport," said Lopez. "I couldn't do both when it's at this level of competition. Once I made the volleyball team, I decided to transition to volleyball as my primary sport."

Little did Lopez know what would come next, as Dartmouth's volleyball program would turn varsity her sophomore year.

"It's rewarding to think I was a part of that early history," she said.

With the 2022-23 academic year being the 50th Anniversary of Women's Athletics at Dartmouth, it has given Lopez a chance to reflect.

"It always takes the first to start things," she said. "When I was there, I don't think I quite understood the magnitude of it. Now, it's only in this reflection time, that I can say it was pretty amazing to be a part of something so special."

Lopez truly experienced Dartmouth volleyball's transformation.

"Title IX investigations were going on my first year," said Lopez. "I have to give credit to the women who came before, especially Michelle Fortier and Jennifer Hall. They really led us in everything – figuring out gym time, practice time, booking vans.

"Once the ruling came out where it would become fully-funded, I just remember head coach Ann Marie Larese introducing herself and saying here's what we're going to do, here's your summer workout and this is when preseason will be," Lopez continued. "It was pretty amazing to be part of her building of the program."

This was a time of growth, for not only the volleyball program, but also Lopez as a person. Dartmouth provided a platform for her to grow into her leadership, and ultimately a passion for education.

Remember, Lopez first came to Dartmouth thinking she wanted to be a doctor. But she ended up graduating with a history degree, modified with Native American studies. She later earned her master's degree in education at Harvard.

"I always give a shoutout to Candice Jimerson, who was a couple years ahead of me on the volleyball team and mentored me," said Lopez. "She was a history major like me, but also taking several classes in the education department."

Through that experience (and many others), Lopez saw the impact of a mentor and making a difference on others' lives.

"Especially as an athlete, the sisterhood you have and that group of friends you make becomes family for you," said Lopez. "This is the group you rely on to help support you, on and off the court. That fellowship, team building and support was something I really relied on."

Today, Lopez is a supporter for so many young Native American students looking to access higher education.

"I realized at the heart of who I am is a teacher, somebody who likes to help others develop and meet their full potential," said Lopez. "And I think it's because I had opportunities and worked with other educators who did that same thing."

Lopez is proud of her heritage, as she moved back to New Mexico for an important reason.

"After living in Massachusetts for so many years [post college], once I started a family, I felt the 'pull' to come back home," she said. "I wanted my children to be raised near the sacred mountains and rivers in their homeland, so they would be connected and be able to walk in the world confidently with the reassurance of knowing where they came from and what their story is… that they're here to fulfill a purpose."

Lopez's purpose is clear — education — which was a common theme in her family.

"My father was an educator, and he retired as a superintendent," she said. "After all her six children were raised and out of the house, my mother went back to earn her bachelor's and master's. She is a Navajo language teacher for elementary students.

"The educator's pathway is really big in my family."

Whether it's teaching in a classroom or coaching a team, the same concepts are in place.

"It's mentoring, advising and seeing people's raw and future potential, and being excited to help them get to that place," said Lopez. "Now, I'm in a nonprofit space where I'm doing all those things at the same time [at College Horizons].

"I believe that's my life's work – helping to strengthen native nations through education."

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