Olivia Diaz

Olivia Diaz dropped out of Diné Community College, in Kayenta, Arizona, to get married and have a child. After a few years, she began to miss the challenge of education. “My father is my great inspiration, because he told me that it’s never too late,” she says. “He was a returning adult student, too, and obtained his masters degree in social work from the University of Utah. Now he’s a social worker.” Once enrolled at PVCC, Olivia not only became engrossed in criminal justice studies, but was also elected vice-president of the Native American Student Association.

After graduation from PVCC, she will transfer to ASU to obtain a degree in criminology. Her long-range plan is to attend Sandra Day O’Connor Law School and major in tribal law.