Family and Friends

Learn about the types of events occurring for family and friends of Stanford students.

Events for Family & Friends

New Student Orientation (NSO) Events for Parents & Families (September) - Events for parents and families usually take place on the first day of NSO. The events (in-person or virtual) for parents and families are intended to provide an appreciation for the University’s challenging intellectual life, resources, rich community and lasting traditions. We hope that you will ask questions, meet new families and friends, and enjoy your day on campus.
Parents' Club of Stanford University
Stanford Family Weekend (February) - This popular annual event provides parents with a glimpse of their student's life at Stanford. The weekend features open houses, faculty lectures, and special campus tours.
Admit Weekend (Late March/April) - Join our community for Admit Weekend.
Stanford Powwow (May, Mother's Day Weekend) - Join our community for Mother's Day Weekend for our Annual Stanford Powwow.
Native American Graduation Dinner and Awards Presentation (June) - Is your child graduating? Join us for the (Virtual) Native American Graduation Dinner and Awards Presentation during Stanford's Commencement Weekend.

Bay Area Community

The San Francisco Bay Area continues to have the second largest concentration of Amrican Indians and Alaska Natives in the state - second only to the Los Angeles area. In fact, the state of California surpassed Oklahoma in its total number of Native Americans!

As a result of the Federal Relocation Program of the 1950s, many Indian families came to the Bay Area to make their homes. They stated, more family members followed, children were born, and the rest is history. Now, in the 1990s, the Bay Area Native American community is estimated conservatively to be 50,000 including members of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, the original inhabitants of the area.

Many resources are available here to American Indians and Alaska Natives, including community centers, health clinics, referral agencies, educational programs, Native American student associations from more than fifteen colleges, and social, recreational, and cultural groups. Living in the Bay Area means having easy access to regular events, resources, exhibits, and activities of special interest to Native people within the surrounding six-county area.

There are permanent Native American exhibits at the Academy of Science, DeYoung Museum, Jesse Peter Native American Art Museum, Hearst Museum of Anthropology, Marin Museum of the American Indian, and Oakland Museum. Annual events includ the American Indian Film Festival held in San Francisco each fall, all-indian bowling, golf, and basketball tournaments, marathon runs, holiday dinners hosted by Indian community centers, and a powwow every weekend!

Learn more about the NACC's efforts to raise consciousness at Stanford about the history of the fight for federal re-recognition of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe.