How Do You SpellSuccess?<br>K-i-r-a B-e-g-a-y

It’s a story that you read about in a southwestern novel, a single mom, widowed in her early 20’s, raising 3 children on her own, struggling in a small reservation town. She works hard, makes sacrifices and dreams of success for her children.

Then it comes, by way of her youngest, a beautiful and gifted, amber-eyed daughter. Kira Begay, a senior student at Tuba City High School, is not just a native success story, she is the model American student success story.

Humble, disciplined, ambitious, mindful of her Navajo heritage and its cultural responsibilities, working after school as a waitress to pay for her own personal expenses, mentoring other classmates, a student leader.

The list is long when it comes to recognizing her accomplishments.

Out of 503 native applicants across the nation applying to Stanford University for the fall of 2002, only 60 were chosen. Of those select 60 only 3 were chosen from the state of Arizona, one from White River reservation, one from Red Mesa, and one from this small agency town, TC senior, Kira Begay. Begay was selected based on her outstanding National Honor Society GPA, as well as her leadership qualities, her extracurricular activities and most importantly her own personal essay on what her vision is for herself and her future.

Begay is in the Spanish Club, Math Club, Student Council, DECA, and National Honor Society. She is also one of the Editors of the TC High paper, a lone representative to the Native American Youth Entrepreneurship Program.

Before Begay worked after school as a waitress in Tuba City’s own, Szechuan Restaurant, she delivered newspapers for a Flagstaff newspaper.

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