Contact:

Laurie Mellas-Ramirez, 505-277-5915

May 17, 2001

FARMINGTON-NATIVE SPEAKS AT UNM MAIN COMMENCEMENT

Farmington-native Irvin Harrison delivered the University of New Mexico main campus commencement address this past Saturday at the UNM Arena.

Harrison, a graduate of Farmington High School, also graduated from UNM magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English focused on professional writing. Of the 2,491 students taking home degrees that morning, Harrison, a Navajo, was one of 119 Native American graduates. He was recently inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Beta Kappa honor societies. He also earned a Clauve Outstanding Senior Award.

Harrison will be the keynote speaker at a banquet in the Farmington High School cafeteria on Monday, May 21 at 6 p.m. honoring Class of 2001 graduating Native American seniors from Farmington, Piedra Vista and Rocinante High Schools. Participants will include the graduating seniors, their parents and Farmington Municipal Schools administrators and school board members.

A "non-traditional" student, Harrison worked full-time to help his parents and family while pursuing a degree.

" The journey to my bachelor's degree was exactly that - a journey. I started out at San Juan College with the idea that I would finish in two years and then move on to a university. It didn't work out that way," he said.

Harrison plugged away at his courses part-time and a decade later, finished with a degree. "I was very fortunate that when I finally decided to move from Farmington to Albuquerque seven years ago that I was able to get a job at UNM. I believe that if it were not for the academic environment I was working in, I wouldn't have actively pursued my degree. I did not do very well in my classes when I started at UNM. The support of my boss, and many other mentors on campus, helped me to finish. And my commitment to my studies resulted in achieving honors," he said.

"I always knew in my heart that I would eventually graduate from college. What helped me was working at UNM and becoming involved as a student," Harrison adds. "My initial motivation to attain my degree was for promotion. But once I became fully involved, I forgot about that initial motivation and I wanted to have fun as a student. Somewhere in all that fun, the degree became a reality."

Harrison says young people must take the initiative and become active at their chosen college or university. He also advises that if school becomes overwhelming it is important to ask for help.

"That is what the various support offices on campus are there for," he says.

Harrison plans to pursue a master's degree in communications at San Diego State University next spring. "Ideally, I would like to return to work in an office at UNM like American Indian Student Services to help improve UNM's graduation and retention rates of Native American students.

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The University of New Mexico
Public Affairs Department
Hodgin Hall, 2nd floor
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0011
Telephone: (505) 277-5813
Fax: (505) 277-1981