Joyce Lander is a second-year welding student at Northland Pioneer College’s (NPC) Holbrook campus. She grew up in Greasewood, Arizona, a remote community on the Navajo Nation Reservation.
She is a first-generation college student and will earn her associate degree from NPC this coming May at the age of 18. Joyce has excelled in her studies at NPC, maintaining straight A’s. “My family is very proud of me,” she said. “I am the first person to graduate from college.”
It is a 55-mile drive each way for Joyce to attend classes. “The support of gas cards through the Metallica Scholars Initiative makes it possible for me to get to class,” Joyce said.
For Joyce, her college experience and welding skills are a stepping-stone to build upon. “My welding certifications are something I can use on the side as I work toward my end goal.” Joyce has been accepted to Navajo Technical University’s veterinarian program in Crownpoint, New Mexico. She will begin the three-year program next fall. “I love animals,” she explained. “Growing up on the reservation, you see animals in dire need of care and medical support. I want to one day return to the reservation and practice veterinarian services in my community.”
“Without the support of the Metallica Scholars Initiative, it would have been much harder for me to stay on track.” She noted, “Thank you, Metallica, for giving me a step up and for thinking of community college students, particularly those of us who live on the reservation.”
