The 2021 Diné College Commencement is a time of recognition and celebration for your accomplishment. Your Warrior family is proud of you. For some of you, the road has been easy and straight and for others commencement marks a long journey with many twists and turns. No matter how you got to hold that diploma in your hand, it is proof that you have the ability to be successful. Do not forget the feeling of graduating from college. You have learned new theories and ways to solve problems. You have written papers that made you look anew at old problems. You are not the same person you were when you started here at Diné College because today, you are a college graduate.

Now comes the hard part. What do you do with that college degree? I have a suggestion; think about giving back to your nation. Did you know that nearly 25,000 Navajos have some college but no degree? Be a role model and set an example. Provide the inspiration to get those you know to go back to school and finish what they started. Or, within your own family, encourage the attainment of a degree. Imagine what the Navajo Nation would be like if 50% of its citizens had a higher education degree or certificate.

You are proof that when a goal is set, with a commitment to hard work, anything is possible. Again, congratulations and don’t forget to say thank you to all that helped you. I am counting on you to help create a more prosperous Navajo Nation. Based on your accomplishment, I am certain it will happen.

Take care,
– Dr. Monty Roessel