Lyla June Johnston turned down Harvard Business School in order to return to her community and immerse herself in traditional Navajo culture and customs. Returning to her roots has helped her heal from her own trauma. She is trying to help other youth connect with their culture. Like many tribes, the Navajo were forced to attend boarding schools where they were stripped of their language, culture, and identity. In the present, Johnston says, “We’re trying to address the feelings of emptiness that a lot of Native youth have, and the social issues that they deal with on a daily basis, through education. Education that is not forced upon them, education that is not trying to assimilate them into Western, American culture. But an education that is literally built by them and built by their grandparents.”
Source: AJ+. “Revitalizing (Diné) Navajo Traditions.” November 3, 2017. https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish/videos/revitalizing-din%C3%A9-navajo-traditions/1074341932707313/
