"You Have No Excuse Not to Change the World"

There has been so much going on this month. For starters, I am officially certified as of last week to teach elementary and special education. It's a really weird feeling to have something I've been working so hard for. I am so thankful for the people that traveled miles and miles to share this experience with me. Especially my aunts, that braved the 101 and the 60 together, and my family, who braved the heat and 2 hour lines for the commencement ceremony-without so much as a complaint.

My father told me a funny story at my reception. During the convocation my name was announced as student teacher of the year and my mom, fiddling with her camera, was so shocked that she shouted instantly, "HEY, THAT'S MY BABY!" He said people around them started giggling and laughing. ;)

Me receiving recognition for student teacher of the year:

In case your wondering what the heck is on my cap, it says, "THX JACK." Jack is a nickname for my fiance and I wanted to thank him for being my cheerleader.

The Native American convocation was very beautiful. It was an honor to meet and receive a stole from Dr. Peterson Zah, former first president of the Navajo Nation. I've always wanted to meet him and he said to me, in Navajo, "Good job, congratulations, my child." Words can't really express how much these moments meant to me.

Me and mom:

Me and dad:

Of all the speeches, my favorite highlight was Mr. president Obama's speech. He put it best when he said, "You have no excuse not to change the world." That's why I chose the teaching profession. As a teacher you are constantly learning and education is continuous.

President Obama's speech verbatim: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/us/politics/13obama.text.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

My Moccassins

No, I'm not trying to make a statement with this cheesy background. I wanted to put a blanket behind my moccasins to drown out the dull kitchen floor background, but I failed. My sister kept making me laugh because of my blanket selection at the time (wait, wasn't this her cat's snazzy blanket?!). Yes, I could have gone that extra step and actually looked for a decent background, but I was in a hurry/lazy.

During the process I was shown (about three times) how to put the moccasins on and how to tie them. Since I'm clever, I video taped it so we wouldn't forget. I don't want to load the video because it's incoherent due to our laughter.

I must say, they turned out beautifully and I am so proud to wear them for my graduation.

Arizona State University Powwow Spring 2009