American Indian youth rewarded for graduating high school

Months after the sounds of "Pomp and Circumstance" faded from Carson High School, echoes of the graduation march still rang through the Carson Indian Colony Youth Center on Saturday.

Eleven youths from the Carson and Stewart Indian colonies were rewarded with a $400 check each from the California Indian Manpower Consortium for receiving their high school diplomas.

"It's motivating to get you through high school by knowing you're being appreciated for it," said graduate Shaylyn Tom, 18.

The students typically receive the grant money, funded through the U.S. Department of Labor, in the mail after graduation.

However, this year a ceremony was planned to officially present the students with the money.

"We wanted to really recognize them and tell them we're proud of what they've done," said Debbie Painter, clerical assistant for the Youth Opportunities Program, sponsored by the consortium. "It's rewarding them for a job well done."

And the ceremony gave graduates the opportunity to set a positive example for younger students.

"It shows other students who are going to be seniors a chance to see that if you do good, you get this," said Rubell Dingman, 17, who plans to attend the University of Idaho at Moscow.

She said she will use the $400 toward the purchase of a laptop computer to take to college.

Dorothy Martinez spoke during the luncheon. Martinez, the Indian education advisor at the high school, has worked for the school district for 29 years and is now seeing her third generation of students graduate.

"It makes me very proud," she said. "To see the ones who have gone on and now have businesses in the community, it makes my heart swell.

"I guess that's why I keep doing it."

The grant is designed as an incentive to reach the program's goals of promoting long-term education, employment and skills training.

"To get them there, we really want to encourage them to graduate from high school," explained Richard Cruz, youth specialist supervisor for the Central California region. "It's the first milestone in their lives."

Sophomore April Hyatt said she has every intention of reaching that milestone as well.

"I'm definitely going to graduate," she said. "Then I'll probably go on to (the University of Nevada, Reno)."

Hyatt, 15, invited Jeremy Krupp, 17, to serve as the disk jockey for the ceremony.

"It's a good experience for other people to see us," she said. "They get to see how Native Americans are in modern-day times. They get to see what a regular community we are."

And the students are proud of their heritage.

"It makes it a little bit harder in life because there are still some stereotypes and racism," said Cristyn Rupert, 17. "But I'm willing to fight against it.

"I love my culture."

Contact Teri Vance at tvance@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1272.