New Certified Nursing Assistants Strengthen Care Workforce in Apache County

Navajo Technical University celebrated a pinning ceremony at its Chinle campus on December 18, 2025, as Fall 2025 certified nursing assistant students completed their certification requirements. The event drew family members, friends, faculty, and staff who gathered to recognize months of training in core patient care skills.

The ceremony opened with a prayer by Juanita Preston, and Arlena Benallie, NTU Chinle Site Director, offered a warm welcome to attendees. Juanita Preston later delivered the keynote address, telling graduates, “To do what nobody else will do, in a way nobody else can do, despite all we go through, is to be a nurse. They embody the aspirations and tasks you aim to accomplish.” Instructor Trina Mathis presented awards to each student, and noted the value of the profession in both personal and community terms. “Congratulations to all the Fall 2025 graduates, certified nursing assistants (CNAs). The profession offers continuous learning, enabling CNAs to grow their skills and knowledge throughout their careers. Their commitment to compassionate patient care and supporting nurses is deeply valued.”

Training for the CNA program included fundamentals such as patient care, taking vital signs, and basic nursing procedures. Those skills align with staffing needs in nearby hospitals and long term care facilities and can reduce gaps in hands on care across Apache County. For many graduates, certification is the first step toward further education or expanded roles within nursing.

This was Trina Mathis’s first year teaching in the nursing program, and each graduate was pinned by a family member they selected, underscoring community bonds and cultural support for caregiving careers. Fall 2025 CNA students include Cora Bahe, Carlelish Burbank, Lainy Burke, Jusbertina Grandson, Havier Bia, Teah Frank, and Trina Mathis, noted as instructor.

Financial assistance was mentioned as available from a variety of organizations and programs to support students pursuing certification and further training, which can lessen economic barriers to entering health care careers. For Apache County residents, local certification programs such as this one are an important pipeline for both employment and culturally grounded care.

For more information contact NTU Marketing at marketing@navajotech.edu or 505 387 7529.