Students from Pennsylvania Visit the Navajo Nation During Gap Year

WINDOW ROCK – Each visit to the Navajo Nation offers an opportunity to learn about the Diné people and their government. Yesterday, a group of college-age students spending their fgap year visited the tribal capital.

The students are part of the OneLife Institute, a nine-month Christian gap year program that partners with Cairn University and other institutions. Through the program, participants engage in service learning across the Four Corners region.

“I’m always encouraged to welcome visitors to our great Navajo Nation,” Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said. “Meeting with the young minds of the OneLife Institute shows the strong interest from outside perspectives to learn about our Navajo people, culture, and language.”

The students were amazed to see the Window Rock and get an insight of Navajo Nation communities, especially when it comes to community engagement and learning about Navajo culture.

President Nygren also shared how he has strengthened his own Navajo fluency by reading the New Testament in Diné Bizaad. He encouraged the students to practice the Navajo language through translation applications as a way to further connect with the culture.