DURANGO, COLO— In a world where doom scrolling can feel easier than action, Fort Lewis College associate professor of political science Paul DeBell urged graduates to meet the challenges of today’s political climate with courage, compassion, and real-life connection.
“The world needs you IRL,” DeBell told the crowd at the Diversity Affairs Graduation Celebration, encouraging students to stay grounded in their relationships—especially when it’s hard—because building community is essential to creating meaningful change.
DeBell served as keynote speaker for the annual celebration that this year honored 80 students representing FLC’s identity centers, including the Native American Center, El Centro, the Black Student Resource Center, the Gender & Sexuality Resource Center, and, for the first time, TRIO for first-generation college students.
Growing community
Student speaker Sahalee Martin, a psychology major with minors in sociology and Native American & Indigenous studies, discussed the adversities and joys of her time at FLC.
“There had been many tears shed, identity crises had, and so much grief, but also joy,” said Martin, who is Hopi and Chicanx. Among the challenges, she said, was addressing the complex emotions brought up by the release of a History Colorado report that investigated the abuses committed when Fort Lewis operated as a Federal Indian Boarding School.
“As the granddaughter of a boarding school survivor, whose removal from her community deeply impacted my family's connection to our culture, I had to ask myself hard questions like, ‘How should I, as an Indigenous student, interact with this colonial institution?’” she said.
“We have learned to turn our pain, grief, and anger into seeds, seeds that we have not planted or raised alone but with the help of our families who supported us throughout our journey; of our friends who have become family, picking us up when we are down; of staff who have always believed in us. And to faculty, specifically Deanne (Grant), an NIS professor who has given me the tools to create my own narrative, one that is filled with Indigenous joy and not defined by colonial guidelines.
“I stand before you as a testament to the power of the community that I would not be here without,” she said.
Finding courage in community
DeBell began his remarks by acknowledging the people and struggles that helped bring students to this milestone—and the strength it takes to show up as your full self in a world that often demands otherwise.
“I don’t want to be na茂ve about the challenges we face,” DeBell said. “It takes enormous courage just to be who you are—and even more to stand up for your communities and your values. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to be courageous alone. In fact, we are strongest when we are connected.”
DeBell shared two powerful examples of how adversity can become a catalyst for lasting change. The first: his personal fear of public speaking, which he overcame by showing up, day after day, in classrooms full of students. The second: the queer community’s organizing during the HIV/AIDS crisis—an era when fear gave rise to collective action that reshaped public health and policy.
“Their activism saved enormous lives in the short term,” DeBell said. “And in the long term, that fear-based moment of organization, collaboration, and courage dramatically changed our culture.”
As an example of that change, he used his own experience as growing up in a culture where being gay or queer was never discussed. In all his years of going through the education system, which included a doctoral program, he never encountered an openly gay professor.
“It is because of the courageous communities before us, the queer and trans liberation movements, and so many other movements rested in communities for civil rights and liberties that we are here today,” he added.
FLC President Heather Shotton also addressed the graduates and their families, celebrating the event as a space that centers love, care, and joy.
“The diversity that these students represent is what makes Fort Lewis College truly special,” Shotton said. “Tonight, we celebrate you, your journeys, and your communities."
DeBell closed his remarks by encouraging students to prioritize their relationships over retreating from the world. It’s in those relationships, he said, that courage grows.
“You’ve likely made some of the most important relationships of your life here at Fort Lewis College,” he said. “My advice is to hang on to them. They will evolve and grow more beautiful with time.
“Graduates, thank you so much, stay connected, stay courageous and stay in touch.”