Winds of Change - College 2017 - 8

Student BODY

Continued from page 7

first drive down to ASU and during my
freshman year. It was all new to me. I went
from a school that was 99 percent like me
to a school that was less than 1 percent
like me - a life-changing experience.
Luckily, a mentor through the ASU American Indian Student Support Services
guided me through the first year.
One of the biggest challenges I had
entering college was paying for it all. Both
my parents were unemployed at the time.
My mom was living with friends, and my
dad and I were living with my grandparents. We were low on cash, and I was
afraid I would not have enough money for
food and housing. But I received the
maximum Pell Grant, and with Chief
Manuelito, American Indian Services, and
university scholarships, I had enough to
barely cover the costs.
It was a struggle each day, and so many
times I wanted to give up. There were
times when I would eat only once a day
because I was broke or low on cash. Every
time I considered quitting, I thought of
my grandparents and how
disappointed they would be.
During tough times, I
thought back to what they
would tell me when I was
back home. They would
always tell me to never give
in to all the negativity that's
everywhere these days.
I constantly reminded
myself that I'm the first in
the family to go to college.
What would I be telling my
little cousins, who are
looking up to me, if I were
to drop out? I always used
the image of me walking up
the aisle to receive my
diploma as another
motivation to keep going.
So no matter how bad my
day was, I stayed positive
and kept my sights on the
finish line: being the first in
my family to graduate from
college. And I did that. I
graduated in May 2016.
At ASU, I thought about
studying engineering but
decided on biochemistry
because it's interesting and
challenging. I chose this
major largely thanks to my
high school chemistry

It wasn't until my
senior year in high
school that two
Teach for America
teachers opened my
eyes to my full
academic potential.
teacher, one of the Teach for America
teachers who mentored me and showed
me how much fun chemistry can be. I
enjoyed his class and could clearly
understand the material. Also, I'm strong
in math and science so I wanted a degree
that's a mixture of both. I spent many
nights staying up late reading and doing
homework. In the end, it was all worth it.
I also took a few classes in American
Indian studies, which expanded my thinking
and made me want to make a difference in
the lives of young American Indian students,
specifically my people. That's one of several
factors that led me to join Teach for America

8 WINDS OF CHANGE * 2017-2018 SPECIAL COLLEGE ISSUE

and come home to teach. I want to empower
students in my community with education
and knowledge as well as be a role model
and mentor for them.
My advice to students who hope to go
to college is to stay focused and committed to your studies. Never fall behind, and
attend every single class or you'll miss
important information. Stay away from all
the negativity that surrounds college
campuses. Stay in constant contact with
family to help keep you strong. Stay
motivated and always remember why you
are there. Most importantly, I would also
tell them to use the education from college
and bring it back home by mentoring,
tutoring, and even teaching students in
their communities.
After I graduated from ASU, I got into
the Teach for America program through
AmeriCorps. Not only did I come back
home to Shiprock, but I also get to teach in
my old high school. I teach Algebra 1 and 2,
Geometry, Financial Literacy, and AP
Calculus. Go Chieftains! Now that I'm in my
second year of teaching, I'm starting to
figure out what all my
experience is leading
toward. I enjoy teaching
and the feeling you get
when students say, "I'm
finally starting to get this."
My plan is to
continue teaching at
SHS for the next five to
10 years. But you never
know - I could teach
for longer than that. I
enjoy every single day
with my students. Once
a Chieftain, always a
Chieftain!
My ultimate career
goal is to make a
difference in the lives of
the young students in
my community. I want
to be a role model and a
mentor for them and
show them that if they
stay focused, determined, and motivated,
they can achieve and be
whatever they wish. I
want to make this
connection with as many
students as I possibly
can, as an educator.
- As told to
Kyle Coulon
aises.org

COURTESY OF BRANDON BEGAY

THE
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