Family Stories: How Homes and Schools Influence Career Pathways for Navajo High School Students

Abstract

Sa’ah Naaghai Bik’eh Hozhoon (SBNH) is the framework to Hozho and living the Hozho Way of Life as Dine people. This dissertation draws on SNBH and family stories to learn from Dine high school students and their parents how to 1) support and prepare Dine high school students for career and post secondary pathways, living the Hozho Way of Life; 2) understand what a student living the Hozho Way of Life may look like in academic spaces; and 3) identify how Dine high school students can develop opportunities for post-secondary and career options. In this research, I used Dine epistemology of SNBH (Shirley, 2019) to base my study in Dine knowledge and an Indigenous research approach. I also collected student and parent stories using Storywork (Archibald, 2008). The voices of students, parents and myself resonate as we share heartfelt stories of our families, communities, and ways of living for this research. Each story is respected and honored as these voices come to life. I offer the stories of nine students and four parents, as they expressed their belief in living the traditional Dine Way of Life. I also show how, in interviews, students and parents shared lived experiences and insights into the concepts of harmony, beauty, happiness, and balance, the philosophy of Hozho. Dine high school students discussed how, through the principles of SNBH, youth can think, plan, live, and evaluate their college plans and future careers, and how 1) their beautiful thoughts give them direction; 2) their beautiful planning develops their goals; 3) beautiful thoughts affect their thoughts and plans; and 4) they have hope for new blessings. Overall, in the dissertation, I show how using the four principles of SNBH offers insight into the ways that Dine high school students can develop expectations, motivation, and confidence in their career and occupational pathways.