Lisa Powell and Heidi Baldwin will share keynote-address duties this morning during Haskell Indian Nations University’s commencement ceremonies.

They’ve been named the university’s 2003 Students of the Year.

Both are top-notch students — Powell has a 4.0 grade-point average in elementary education, Baldwin has a 3.9 average in business administration.

Both say they’ve fallen madly in love with Haskell for what it is and for the future it offers.

“My message is going to be to always set goals for yourself and never stop trying to achieve those goals,” Baldwin said.

“My goals are to have a family with children who grow up to be successful, caring people, and to get a master’s degree sometime in the future.”

Baldwin, 25, has applied for a job with the Social Security Administration. Though she is from Pahrump, Nev., she is a member of the Kaw Tribe of Oklahoma.

Powell, 40, said she would take a different approach.

“I grew up in Lawrence,” she said. “My dad (Keith Robinson) coached football and baseball here in the 1970s. My brothers went to Haskell, and my son goes here now.

“So I’m going to talk about the changes I’ve seen over the years and the dedication I’ve seen when it comes to helping students,” Powell said. “Haskell, for me, is like one big family.”

Powell is a member of the Osage Nation. Her husband, Kevin, is a U.S. Navy recruiter, stationed in Lawrence.

“Let’s see, in the past 17 years, we’ve moved nine times,” Powell said. “That includes three years in Greece, three years in Japan.”

Powell said she hoped to land a teaching job in either Wyandotte or Leavenworth county.

Commencement ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. in the Coffin Sports Complex. About 175 students are expected to receive two- and four-year degrees.

Afterward, students, their families and friends will gather in Curtis Hall for lunch.

The commencement powwow, which begins at 7 p.m. today, has been moved from the powwow grounds to Building 1930 at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds.

“Because of the weather we’ve been having, the powwow grounds are just a swamp right now,” said Haskell spokeswoman Lori Tapahonso.

Plans call for the winner of the 2003 Miss Haskell pageant to be announced — and crowned — during the powwow today.

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