The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an alignment exists between the mission of Puente de Hozho Magnet School and the visualization of how current Navajo students view their education at the school. Qualitative research was used as an opportunity to explore the significance and to gain an in-depth understanding of how Navajo students view their education in the context of their personal experiences. The population consisted of six Navajo fifth grade students who lived outside the boundaries of their Indian reservation and attended school at Puente de Hozho Magnet School. The six student participants were asked to respond to the question, "What does your education look like at Puente de Hozho Magnet School?" through the pictures they took with a camera in and around the school. After the pictures were developed, students were individually interviewed by utilizing selected pictures to prompt their memory in eliciting descriptions and meanings of the images they captured. The students' responses generated a data set for coding and analysis, from which a wealth of data yielded prominent themes as to their education at Puente de Hozho Magnet School. Analysis of this research concluded that the students' visualization of their education at Puente de Hozho is aligned with the original mission and vision of the school. The student voices represent a relationship of natural connections to their cultural heritage as experienced in their school by disregarding stereotypes and rising above the expected.

The purpose of this study was to identify, describe, and analyze Navajo female participation in high school volleyball and its affects on success in higher education. The research was an opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the impact athletics, namely volleyball, has within the Diné culture; and how the impact of those role models who provided leadership through athletic instruction had on the lives of Navajo female student athletes in their postsecondary experiences. The qualitative research was an opportunity to recognize that the interviewing process is synonymous and conducive to oral traditions told by Indigenous people. The population consisted of 11 Navajo female student athletes who were alumna of Monument Valley High School in Kayenta, Arizona, located on the Navajo Nation and who had participated in four years of Mustang volleyball from 2000-2010, either currently attending or graduated from a postsecondary institution, and although not a set criterion, played collegiate volleyball. Results indicated that participation in high school volleyball provided the necessary support and overarching influence that increased self-esteem or self-efficacy that led toward college enrollment, maintaining retention, and long-term academic success. Diné teachings of Aszdáá Nádleehé (Changing Woman) through the age old practice of the Kinaaldá ceremony for young Navajo pubescent girls marking their transition into womanhood, the practice of K'é, and Sa'ah naagháí bi'keeh hózhóón were all prominent Diné principles that resonated with the Navajo female student athletes. The leadership skills that the Navajo female student athletes acquired occurred based on the modification and adaptation of two cultures of two given societies: mainstream non-Native, Euro-centric society, and Diné society. The lifestyle, cultural beliefs, and teachings define the identity of female student athletes and the essence of their being.