By TANYA KEENE
SANTA FE—At the Institute of American Indian Arts right before finals week, it’s not unusual for students to see one another with tired, bloodshot eyes, wearing the same clothes, and drinking coffee like water.
The phrases, “I got two (or three) hours of sleep” or “I went to bed at five this morning” is common.
The 2007 graduating class is no exception. They, too, have been through the blender called finals week. The only difference is that their projects are due the week before finals week.
So while the rest of the student body is running around like headless chickens, the graduates can take a well-deserved breath.
That is, until graduation day. On G-Day, the graduates will be making last minute adjustments to their traditional attire, should they be wearing any, because they want to look their best. Who wouldn’t want that?
The grads have paid their dues and now it’s time for them to accept their degree. This year, 39 students, Native and Non-Native alike, will be accepting their BFA, their AFA, their BA, or their AA degrees in creative writing, studio arts, museum studies, new media arts, or in Native American studies.
Chickasaws, Cherokees, Mohegans, Diné,
Apaches, Siouxs, Oneidas, and Japanese
Here’s a closer look at the 2007 graduates and their degrees:
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing—
Angela Damron Cherokee;
Ishmael Antar White Clay People (Gross Ventre);
Britta Andersson;
Undrell Person Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma;
Natasha Terry Diné; Velencia Tso-Yazzie Diné;
Dulbert Yazzie Diné
Associate of Fine Arts in Creative Writing—
Rebecca Murtha Mohegan;
Gerri Williams Muckleshoot;
Schuyler Deal Creek/Seminole
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts—
Arnold Katoney Diné; Paul Moore Chickasaw;
Tedra Begay Diné; Thomas Buckman Gros Ventre/Crow;
Randy Charles Oneida; John Eagleman Diné/Sioux;
Herbert Napie Diné; Rose Simpson Santa Clara Pueblo; Valentina Sireech Northern Ute
Associate of Fine Arts in Studio Arts—
Chelsea Nicola Penobscot/Mi’kmaq/Maliseet;
Jaqueline Smith Diné; Shaun Beyale Diné;
Barbara Gerard-Mitchell Blackfeet; Cindy Schenandoah-Stanford Oneida;
Michael Schweigman Oglala Sioux; Nolan Ukestine Zuni;
Taketo Yamashita Japanese; Melissa Cody Diné
Bachelor of Arts in Museum Studies—
Sonja Cain Blackfeet; Melissa Cody Diné;
Walela Knight Choctaw/Cherokee;
Janice Stump Northern Paiute;
Monique Tyndall Mohheconnuk, Omaha, Muskogee-Creek, Elk Clan;
Kenneth Williams Arapaho/Seneca
Associate of Arts in Museum Studies—Karl Duncan San Carlos Apache;
Bradley Pecore Menominee
Bachelor of Fine Arts in New Media Arts—
Tyrone Headman Diné/Ponca
Erick Nakai Diné; Jonathan Nelson Diné
Associate of Arts in Native American Studies—
Eri Imamura (Japanese)
The Finish Line
On G-Day, the drums will roll and it will be time for the graduates to shine—not from any greasy frybread though. It’s time to make their entrance now.
The grads will have to try and relax but it will be hard because their loved ones in the crowd will be waiting with cameras ready and video recorders rolling. Family and friends will be waiting to capture the grads defining moment with every shot.
The grads will feel like they’re going blind from all the camera flashes and they’ll feel hot under all those stage lights. But to hear their name being called….that is something else. It’ll be a good feeling. It’ll be great. It’ll be intense, but they’ll embrace it because they deserve it.
Those graduates who made it to the finish line have something to be proud of. They earned their degree, or another one, depending on how long they’ve been at IAIA.
Some of the questions the graduates will have to answer are: “So what’s next for you?” or “You coming back to IA?” or even “You going to grad school?”
Once their commencement ceremony ends, the 2007 graduating class can relax. They can go back to sleep, they can get back to their packing, they can breathe again.
That is until they find summer jobs and travel plans are squared away, and…..
“On G-Day, the drums will roll and it will be time for the graduates to shine.”