Hózhǫ́ Naashá Ambassadors

 

 

Meet our 2026-2025 Hózhǫ́ Naashá Ambassador's

 

 

Acadia Riley is Navajo Preparatory School’s Miss Hózhó Naashá and is in 11th grade at Navajo Preparatory School. She is an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo and is from Farmington, NM. Acadia is actively involved in campus leadership and student life, she currently serves as a member of the Naat’áanii Youth Council. In the 2024–25 school year, she was a member of the Student Advocacy Team, where she participated in legislative advocacy at the New Mexico Roundhouse.

Acadia is a member of the National Honor Society, the Natural Helpers peer support program, and the junior prom committee. She also plays on the Eagles Volleyball and Softball teams. Over the summer, she was able to visit New Zealand for a cultural experience through the Diné–Aotearoa Māori Cultural Immersion Program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dylan Barney is Navajo Preparatory School’s Mr. Atsá Hastiin, serving as one of two cultural ambassadors for the school. A junior at Navajo Prep, Dylan proudly represents the Northern Agency, from Shiprock Chapter. He served as the Student Senate Class President during his sophomore year and continues to be a strong voice for his peers. Beyond leadership, he is an active member of the Speech and Debate Team and a Discovery Days Student Ambassador, welcoming and guiding future students to the Navajo Prep community. Dylan is also musically talented—he plays guitar and drums with skill and enjoys singing Johnny Cash songs, showcasing his creativity and love for performance.

 

 

 

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Hózhǫ́ Naashá - Walking in Beauty Walking in Beauty: “Hózhǫ́ Naashá”

The four cardinal directions principles defined below are the “beauty way path” in the sense that beauty exists within us and around us as the light reflects through a rainbow. The symbol of the rainbow is our sovereign communication with creator.

“Hózho means “natural order.” The term natural order is temporal time, cardinal directions, cycles of seasons correlated with principles placed in the four cardinal directions for a life journey.

THE FOUR CORN-POLLEN FOOTSTEPS

The principles placed within the four cardinal directions are blessing way teaching translated to English as “the four corn-pollen footsteps”: child-youth-adult-elder.

 

  EAST - WHITE

Child: sunrise-spring-spiritual moral standards for living

SOUTH - BLUE

Youth: noon-summer-learning/work/transportation

WEST - YELLOW

Parent: sunset-autumn-family/home/story-telling/ceremony

NORTH - BLACK

Grandparent: midnight-winter-SELF-reverence/reverence for the natural order/hope/restoring resources

CENTER - RED

Fireplace/hearth of home: spiritual family love

Once one has experienced a ceremonial change process to correct the state of dis-ease/disease, their journey is in the natural order. Then we are living the loving way,in right relationship to the elements of the four cardinal directions. When we travel through life in this way we are walking in beauty.