photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland greets a Haskell grad and her child during Friday's commencement ceremony. Haaland was the keynote speaker.

Haskell Indian Nations University — and a U.S. Cabinet member — recognized nearly 150 graduating students Friday morning at the university’s first official in-person commencement ceremony in two years.

Haskell’s graduates were joined by a who’s who of influential Native American leaders at the federal level — Secretary Deb Haaland, the leader of the U.S. Department of the Interior; Tony Dearman, the director of the Bureau of Indian Education; and Bryan Newland, assistant secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs.

Haaland, who is Laguna Pueblo, is the first Native American Cabinet secretary in United States history, and she leaned into that point as she delivered the keynote address. The position is one of many firsts; Haaland was also the first Native American woman elected to lead a state party (in New Mexico) and one of the first to serve in Congress.

Haaland said Haskell’s graduating class is prepared to take on new challenges and find success because of their collective experiences, both during their collegiate careers and as Native Americans. Haaland cited her own experiences — her political accomplishments and her pursuit of a college education earlier in her life while a single mother — as proof of that.

“I am proof that you can do whatever you set your mind to,” Haaland said. “I am proof that hard work can get you somewhere in our country.”

Haaland’s appearance at Haskell comes just days after the Department of the Interior released a report detailing the forced assimilation of Native American children that took place at more than 400 government-run boarding schools around the country for 150 years, starting in the 19th century. Haaland noted that Haskell has deep roots in that history; the university is named after Dudley Haskell, a Kansas state representative and U.S. representative in the late 1800s who envisioned Haskell’s campus as a way to assimilate Native Americans from their youth up through adulthood. The assimilation process resulted in the wide destruction of tribal culture and language.

This week’s report is just the first volume in that study, Haaland said. She said that it sets the groundwork for further research and for the Department of the Interior to address the intergenerational trauma that those schools caused.

“Our efforts are steps we can and must make now to alter the course of our futures,” Haaland said. “We must work to preserve Native languages. We must invest in support services for Indigenous peoples, and we must bear witness to the stories of American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian people.”

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Haskell graduates process into the Coffin Sports Complex for their commencement ceremony Friday, May 13, 2022.

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Haskell graduates move their tassels from right to left after every name was called.

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Alysa Benally, this year’s Miss Haskell, addresses Haskell’s graduating class during their commencement ceremony.

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Tony Dearman, the Director of the Bureau of Indian Education, addresses Haskell graduates during their commencement ceremony.

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Haskell grads rise from their seats and move toward the stage to receive their diplomas.

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Haskell grads applaud their fellow degree-earners during their commencement ceremony.