Focused on Giving Back

Ravonelle Yazzie '17

Ravonelle “Rayvon” Yazzie '17 

Growing up on an Arizona reservation, Ravonelle Yazzie ’17 didn’t think it was possible to go to college. But with encouragement from a high-school teacher—and scholarships from Dickinson and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—she became the first person in her family to pursue a college degree. Rayvon plans to pay it forward by helping to prepare young Native American students for higher education and by helping to revitalize the Navajo language and culture. In the meantime, this Dickinsonian has several part-time jobs in addition to her studies, and she has organized and presented information sessions for college-bound high-school students.

Rayvon also has completed four photojournalism internships at a national Navajo newspaper—one of her photos was published by the Associated Press—and she interned at Rez Refuge, a community center in Fort Defiane, AZ, that focuses on youth and horticulture. She plans to spend the spring 2015 semester studying at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M.

Major: 

Sociology (educational-studies minor).

Honors/scholarships/awards:

Gates Millennium Scholarship, Native American Student Scholarship and Samuel G. Rose ’58 Scholarship Fund.

Favorite TV show:

Grey’s Anatomy.

On choosing Dickinson:

Dickinson’s academics are excellent, and I wanted to challenge myself. I am a full-blooded Native American (Navajo) and a first-generation college student, and I knew that the chances of attending Dickinson with another full-blooded Navajo/Native American were low, and so far, it has been a challenging and beneficial journey. 

Favorite Dining Hall food:

Chicken ranch wrap.

On choosing a major:

I initially wanted to major in psychology, but after speaking with some of my mentors about what I want to do, I realized that what I really was interested in was sociology. I also was interested in teaching, and I believe that sociology and educational studies complement each other very well. 

Little-known talents:

Photography. (Prior to coming to Dickinson, I interned as a photojournalist with the local newspaper, Navajo Times, back in my hometown [Window Rock, Arizona].) I also can read, speak and write in the Navajo language.

Favorite classes:

I really enjoyed my photography classes with [Lecturer in Art & Art History Andrew] Bale. The fundamentals I learned through my photojournalism internship definitely helped me succeed in my photography classes, and I now work as a teaching assistant for Professor Bale.

If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be …

… my late maternal grandfather, Leonard Begay, whom I never met. Or Bill Gates.

On interning as a photojournalist:

Currently, I have four internships as a photojournalist with the Navajo Times under my belt, and through these experiences I learned that photographing is so much more complex than turning on a camera and pushing a button. Lighting, composition and research are a few of the key elements to keep in mind. This past summer I covered a drastic forest fire on a reservation in New Mexico—the biggest fire that ever occurred on a Navajo reservation—and the Associated Press picked up one of my photos. Currently, I am a photo TA for Professor Bale’s photography classes. 

Current part-time jobs: 

On-campus: Devil’s Den, the College Bookstore (cashier) and teaching assistant (photography). Off-campus: Homework Club (as a Homework Club teacher, I prepare snacks, plan innovative activities and assist students with their homework after school).

Biggest influence:

Growing up on a reservation, everyone tells you to get a college degree, but the resources to do so are very limited. So I never thought college was possible. But throughout my junior and senior years of high school, my former English teacher, Evelyn Begody, pushed and prepared me to attend a private liberal-arts college. She taught me perseverance, and if it were not for her, I would not be where I am today.

In a perfect world …

… there are no injustices.

As a kid, I wanted to be …

… a Navajo-language teacher.

On the college-application process:

While I applied to colleges all over the U.S. throughout my junior and senior years of high school, I shared information with [fellow] students about what they should be doing to prepare, like forming bonds with teachers and counselors, seeking community-service opportunities and applying for scholarships; I continued to make these presentations during each of my college summers and winter breaks. The most memorable presentation I organized was a panel that included former high-school classmates who now attend Bowdoin College, Brown University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I structured it so that the high-school students could ask us anything about college—something I wish I had been able to do. I continue to return to my former high school to motivate and inspire the students, letting them know that they, too, are capable of achieving higher education. Currently, I am in the process of writing back to the 37 thank-you letters I received from the students.

Post-Dickinson plans:

After an in-depth conversation with [Vice President and] Dean [of Student Life Joyce] Bylander about the relationship I have with high-school students back home, I envision myself at a college preparatory institute that motivates, guides, prepares and assists Native American students.

Though I already speak, read and write in the Navajo language, I plan on pursuing a degree in the language, so I’ll be able to organize workshops and seasonal Navajo games and activities [to help] revitalize the Navajo language and culture. (As a Gates Millennium Scholar, I am able to continue my education through graduate school, and I plan to take full advantage of that opportunity and pursue a doctorate.)

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Published May 13, 2015