A legacy of Lumberjacks

“For the Mitchell family, NAU is not just a place of learning, but a part of the family’s history. Three generations of Mitchells have sat in its lecture halls, spent time on the North Quad and found lifetime connections. Leslie Mitchell , NAU alumna and program manager for the Sanghi College of Engineering, has a family full of Lumberjacks. “My uncle was homecoming king, my brother graduated from NAU, my sisters-in-law are both alumnae and work here at NAU—even my mother-in-law is a Lumberjack,” Mitchell said. “I met my husband at NAU. We both lived in Tinsley but didn’t meet until I moved off campus.” This spring, the family will see a third generation walk across the stage wearing NAU blue and gold. Mitchell’s daughter, Jolee , is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology. For Jolee Mitchell, NAU is the place where she grew up. With her mother working at the university for more than10 years, she was familiar with the campus and knew many people before she started her journey as a Lumberjack. Fellow students might find her familiar, since her picture has been hanging on the walls of University Union for eight years. “The Successful Transition and Academic Readiness (STAR) program is also part of the family legacy,” Leslie Mitchell said. “The picture that hangs at the union was taken during the Homecoming Parade celebrating the STAR program in 2018, when Jolee was in middle school, cementing her future Lumberjack legacy.” After graduation, Jolee Mitchell will be attending graduate school and plans to work in museums when she finishes. Her work at the Bilby Research Center has greatly influenced her path to continue studying archival techniques and methods. “I am studying ceramic typology and trying to learn all the different types of ceramic sherds,” Jolee Mitchell said. “After I complete my master’s degree, I plan to go into museum work and maybe some lab work on the side. Long-term, I want to work on Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) projects. My experience at NAU has been fulfilling. I have participated in research projects with the Office of Undergraduate Research and projects within the Department of Anthropology. I want to thank Dr. Chrissina Burke and Dr. Kelley Hays-Gilpin for their support during my undergrad journey.” The Mitchell family has been creating shared experiences across decades and even though each generation has had different memories and perspectives at NAU, their connection to the institution and to each other offers them a sense of continuity. Their son is still in high school, and there are plenty of cousins, nieces and nephews who will likely carry the torch and become Lumberjacks themselves in the future. “In the family, it is more about when you are going to NAU than where you are going to go to college,” Leslie Mitchell said. “We are a True Blue Lumberjack family. NAU has been a big part of our family life, and we can’t wait to someday see another generation of Mitchell Lumberjacks crossing the stage.” Mariana Laas | NAU Communications (928) 523-5050 | mariana.laas@nau.edu

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