{"id":111829,"date":"2015-06-11T17:42:44","date_gmt":"2015-06-11T23:42:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/ute-mountain-utes-honor-high-school-college-graduates\/"},"modified":"2015-06-11T17:42:44","modified_gmt":"2015-06-11T23:42:44","slug":"ute-mountain-utes-honor-high-school-college-graduates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/ute-mountain-utes-honor-high-school-college-graduates\/","title":{"rendered":"Ute Mountain Utes honor high school, college graduates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Goldlin
Goldlin Wall with wife, Bethnie, and three daughters \u2013 Phoenix, 10, Seneca, 5, and Sage, almost 2.<\/span>The Cortez Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

At age nine, Goldlin Wall was complacent in a remedial course surrounded by other Native American students. He felt comfortable.<\/p>\n

Today, the Ute Mountain Ute tribal member and father of three credits his mother for inspiring him to gain more from his education.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom stressed the importance of school,\u201d he said. \u201cShe told me that our people were struggling, and she asked me, \u2018Do you want to struggle with them, or do you want to try to help them?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Upon earning his doctoral degree from Colorado State University this spring, Wall was invited to deliver the keynote address at a Ute Mountain Ute graduation celebration on Wednesday, June 10. Nearly 45 tribal members received high school and college diplomas this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m no different than any of you,\u201d Wall told the recent graduates.<\/p>\n

Grateful and honored to address the audience, Wall challenged his peers to continue pursuing their education. Stating that Natives were constantly fighting for their rights and identity, Wall said the battle ends with an education.<\/p>\n

\u201cA diploma is the key to your future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As a sophomore at Colorado State University, Wall was struggling academically in a particular science class. He sought help from his professor, who told him that college wasn\u2019t for everybody.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took that as a challenge,\u201d said Wall. \u201cI had to dig down deep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe as native people, we have to claw and fight everyday, whether in the classroom or in the world,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

After earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in 2004, Wall admitted that he didn\u2019t have the grades to enter graduate school. He was subsequently enrolled while on academic probation, reminding his younger tribal members to make every opportunity count.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you get a chance, take that chance,\u201d said Wall, who completed his master\u2019s degree with a 4.0 grade point average. \u201cTake advantage of any opportunity. Nobody is holding you back but you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Challenges issued<\/p>\n

In recent weeks, 27 Ute Mountain Ute tribal members have graduated from area high schools. In addition, two tribal members recently received bachelor\u2019s degrees, and 14 earned associates, journeyman and\/or certification diplomas.<\/p>\n

Councilwoman Juanita Plentyholes challenged the recent graduates to mimic Wall\u2019s academic pursuits. She stressed that higher education degrees were paramount in marketing themselves for competitive careers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you think about your future, think about the life you want to lead,\u201d said Plentyholes. \u201cYou\u2019re the only one in charge of your future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councilwoman Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk agreed, praising Wall\u2019s example for the tribe. Wall is only the second Ute Mountain Ute tribal member to receive a doctoral degree.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bar has been raised,\u201d said Lopez-Whiteskunk. \u201cIf you think you\u2019ve reached the pinnacle in your life, strive for more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Upon learning that he was only the second tribal member to receive a doctoral degree, Wall\u2019s immediate reaction: \u201cWe need more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Support required<\/p>\n

In addition to his mother\u2019s inspiration, Wall also thanked his wife, Bethnie, for keeping him motivated throughout his undergraduate and graduate level courses.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to find people that will help you,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to lean on others for support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked how he balanced academics and family, Wall again praised his wife, stating she sacrificed the most. He added communication and understanding were keys to balancing his duties as a father and requirements as a student.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not always 50\/50,\u201d said Wall. \u201cIt fluctuates, and you have to be flexible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bethnie Wall said she was not only proud of her husband\u2019s academic success, but also his commitment to the family. After class, he always made time for their children, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one thing I\u2019ve always admired about Goldlin is that when he\u2019s home, he\u2019s home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really proud of him,\u201d she continued. \u201cI\u2019m proud he stuck it with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like Bethnie Wall, Lopez-Whiteskunk challenged those in attendance at the ceremony to mentor and support those striving for academic milestones. Without the tribe\u2019s backing, the challenge to obtain an education becomes more difficult, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt requires passion to show compassion, so others can rise above their challenges,\u201d said Lopez-Whiteskunk.<\/p>\n

Councilman Gary Hayes piggybacked on the sentiment, reminding tribal members that dreams and aspirations were good things. He also challenged those seeking higher education degrees to maintain their confidence and self-discipline when roadblocks appear.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake a stand,\u201d said Hayes. \u201cYou can\u2019t help anybody if you can\u2019t help yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently a national tribal liaison with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wall helps to support tribes across the country with various agriculture and animal issues. It\u2019s his way to show his mother that he listened to her so many years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cPush on through,\u201d said Wall, offering the same advice to other Native students. \u201cKeep striving to be the best you can. Everything in life isn\u2019t easy, but you have to find a way. Fight for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

tbaker@cortezjournal.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

$100K in scholarships offered<\/h4>\n

In the last decade, Colorado\u2019s American Indian Scholars License Plate program has awarded more than $100,000 in college scholarships.
\n \u201cIf you have $25, then you can help a Native American student,\u201d said Shadana Dickerson, Executive Director for Rocky Mountain Indian Chamber of Commerce.
\n That message has apparently been received as the scholarship fund is on the rise. According to Dickerson, quarterly sales for the specialty license plates are nearly double over this time last year.
\n With a medicine wheel design by Francis Sherwood, the American Indian Scholars License Plate requires a $25 donation plus specialty plate and registration fees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Goldlin Wall becomes second tribe member to earn doctorate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":111830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5736,5735],"tags":[640,13,144,547],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-111829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-news","tag-award-and-prize","tag-frontpage-lead","tag-towaoc","tag-ute-mountain-ute-indian-tribe"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111829\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111829"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=111829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}