Roessel to Rock Point grads: Leave room for serendipity

ROCK POINT, Ariz.

Most graduation speeches are a variation of this theme: Work very hard and you will achieve your dreams.

Diné College President Charles “Monty” Roessel took a different tack when addressing the 22 graduating seniors of Rock Point Community School Saturday — a more realistic tack.

Some dreams, Roessel noted, are not destined to come true no matter how much work you put into them. That’s when you have to be ready to change course.

Roessel used his own life as an example. When he graduated from high school, “I was sure I was going to be the first Navajo to play in the major leagues,” he told the youths.

He got as far as college level baseball, and then realized it wasn’t going to happen.

“I just wasn’t good enough,” he admitted.

So the young athlete changed course. He put down his mitt and picked up a camera.

“When one door closes, another door opens,” he said, “but you have to be ready to walk through that door.”

This time, it was the right door. His editor at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, where he got his first journalism job, noticed him right away.

“The world is full of photographers with nothing to say,” he told Roessel. “You have a voice with your photographs. Use it.”

Roessel encouraged each graduate to find his or her voice.

“That means find your passion,” he explained. “What motivates you? … You don’t want to be one of those people who just trudges to work. You want to jump to work.”

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