In the beginning of the passage, the author, a half Navajo woman named Dr. Alvord, reflects on her time near the end of high school when she had to decide whether or not to leave the reservation for her education. She identifies with the four sacred mountains that enclose the reservation, as the Navajo culture is one very sacred to her. Dr. Alvord made good grades in high school, though not much was being taught and college readiness was not on the forefront. However, she applied to Dartmouth, an Ivy League school where 50 other Natives attended, got accepted, and decided to leave the reservation. Upon her arrival at Dartmouth, she was shocked at the stark physical and cultural differences that existed between the reservation and Hanover. The
