Tita Navarro Triphahn

Tita Navarro Triphahn is a former Assistant to an Arizona State Senator. She grew up in South Phoenix. She is passionate about spreading her ideas and connecting to Arizonans who are left out.

Tita Navarro Triphahn grew up in South Phoenix at that time when her family did not have air conditioning, technology, or reliable transportation. Regardless, Tita loved her childhood! She loved where she grew up, how big her family was, and most of all she loved how connected South Phoenix was. One of the things Tita loved about South Phoenix was how rural it was. The famed Japanese flower gardens influenced her childhood in more ways than one.

To Tita, South Phoenix is home. She refuses to allow people to stereotype the area in her presence. “Home is the starting place of love, hope and dreams.” This quote fits perfectly on how Tita feels towards South Phoenix as it signifies that home is not a place to relax until you make it that place.

Tita has had an inspiring and adventurous journey. For example, over the course of her life, Tita learned Spanish by “catching on” at work and school. Furthermore, Tita has also had to learn about cultural divisions in high school. One of the first times she became aware of her race was in high school when people began to point out differences to her. She saw this as evidence of time changing.

When she thinks about the limited resources in South Phoenix during her childhood, Tita says, “It’s like we didn’t care if we didn’t have that.” One thing the community did want, however, was a college. South Phoenix was shaped by the college, which opened in 1980. SMCC helped with the development of South Phoenix because SMCC offers many opportunities, jobs, education and cultural diversity.

Narrator	Tita Navarro Triphahn
Birthdate	1954
Place of Origin	South Phoenix, Arizona
Place of Residence	Tempe, Arizona
Occupation	Former Assistant to an Arizona State Senator
Years Active in South Phoenix	1954 –
Recording Duration	47:03
Date	Fall 2019
Location	South Mountain Community Library
Interviewed By	Student Researchers: Alexia Gomez & Alfredo Gonzales
Story Written By	Student Researchers: Alexia Gomez & Alfredo Gonzales; Faculty co-author: Summer Cherland