One Student’s Push to Elevate the Native Perspective

Shayla Yazzie is glad to see more Native representation in major American films. But she thinks that representation still has a long way to go before it accurately captures reality.  

“The historical parts of our culture are beautiful but we are more than that. We live in modern society as well,” she says. “You don’t often see Native people operating in a modern world.” 

To help address this problem, Shayla is studying Digital Media at CNM and plans to tell Native stories on the big screen or through creative marketing campaigns. 

“I know in some way that whatever I do it’s going to benefit Native people,” she says. “All the work will have a touch of Native in there.”  

Right now, Shayla, who’s Navajo, is making the most of her opportunities at CNM. She’s the first person in her family to attend college and she’s encouraging two of her sisters to be next. 

"Enrolling at CNM was a big push for me but I did it to show my siblings that there is more out there for them,” she says.  

Her mom is very excited. 

“My mom is constantly requesting a ‘CNM Mom’ t-shirt,” Shayla jokes. 

Shayla was scared to enroll because she didn’t know what it would be like to come back to college after trying classes somewhere else. Then she saw that the first day of classes fell on her birthday and she took it as a sign. 

As soon as she got here, Shayla knew she’d made the right choice. Unlike other schools she’d attended where students stuck to themselves, CNM created space for discussions, which helped her fit in. 

“In my other classes everyone was in their world, but at CNM it was a safe space for people to give their opinions and that was the confirmation I needed to know I was in the right place,” she says.  

Shayla also received important financial help from the CNM Foundation, including the Century Signbuilders Scholarship for tuition and software. She was so thankful for the aid she elected to be one of the 2026 Donor Dinner speakers and was able to tell donors how their help had a direct impact on her education.   

Next for Shayla is a four-year degree in film or marketing, and then she’ll start her professional storytelling. She’s excited to be recognized for her background but is even more excited to do great work.   

“I want to make sure I never turn into a stereotype and make sure that my work as a scholar always speaks for itself,” she says.