Governor Bill AnoatubbyInside the pages of this issue of the Chickasaw Times you will discover our tribe’s most precious resource.
It is not gold, or treasure or riches. It is not stock certificates, or bonds or any type of financial instrument. It is not currency, or script or any sort of material good.
Our most precious resource is our children.
Inside this newspaper you will find 14 pages of photographs and information on our 2009 Chickasaw high school graduates. These young men and women have passed through their childhood and adolescence, and they will now begin their lives as important, energetic and capable adults.
These students represent not only their own individual futures, but also the future of our tribe. It is they who will determine our tribal direction and will provide guidance for fellow Chickasaws who follow their scholastic and career paths.
It is difficult to properly describe on paper the pride I have in these young people. They represent the latest generation of Chickasaw achievers and are now prepared to make a real difference for our people, and our world.
The Chickasaw Nation has made a determined effort over time to promote, support and encourage quality education and training for our young people. We understand that equipping our students with knowledge and discipline leads to fulfilling lives, happy families and a strengthened tribe.
We have seen the positive impact of these efforts, and the young graduates you will read about today are the latest in a growing Chickasaw population of scholars, thinkers and leaders.
We can now regularly point out Chickasaw students who are members of the National Honor Society; Chickasaws who have achieved National Merit Scholar status; and Chickasaws selected to receive scholarships to the country’s finest institutions of higher learning.
Many of our graduates have excelled in their preparatory schools as athletes, musicians, writers, artists, scientists, mathematicians and more. They have committed themselves to learning – and to excelling – in so many diverse areas of study and competition.
For all we have accomplished – and plan to accomplish – there can be no greater asset to our tribe than the graduates we honor today.
To our Chickasaw graduates we offer our prayers and our sincere best wishes as you embark on this new phase of your lives. We look forward to the great things you will achieve for yourself, your families and the Chickasaw Nation.
