Alumni Colin Denny fosters language access and belonging in Arizona 

Colin Denny, ’19 & G-’23 was born in Shiprock, a small town in northwestern New Mexico. He grew up 150 miles to the southwest in Pinon, an even smaller town in the northeastern corner of Arizona.

Shiprock and Pinon are part of the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American reservation in the United States. Although Pinon had less than 1,000 residents, Denny was surrounded by neighbors who shared his ancestors’ culture. The Navajo Traditional Lifestyle permeated his early life, bonding him with his hometown for life.

“Even if you move away or travel long distances for your education, you never, ever forget where you grew up,” Denny says. “That’s part of Navajo culture.”

Later, his journey would take him all the way to Washington, D.C. Although he eventually returned to Arizona, his time away gave him something irreplaceable.

“Gallaudet is home, too,” Denny says. “It’s my second home.”

Finding culture

Denny grew up speaking Navajo and English with his parents, sister, and other relatives. He remembers the Blessingway (Hózhójí) ceremonies that marked his and his sister’s entrance to maturity, and the smell of slow-cooked mutton stew on the stove.

At the age of five, Denny lost some hearing. Communicating at school and at home became harder, but he survived. After he became profoundly deaf at 12 years old, he knew it was time for a change. He was the only deaf person in Pinon at the time.

“I didn’t need hearing aids or a cochlear implant,” Denny says. “ I needed community.”

Denny and his parents visited the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind (ASDB) in Tucson. Although his parents were hesitant to see him living eight hours away, they couldn’t deny how at home he looked and felt among deaf peers.

Denny enrolled at ASDB and set about learning to sign. He set a goal for himself to learn fifty words a day and made friends by passing notes back and forth. By the time he could express himself in ASL, he knew he had found the community he needed.

Being immersed in the Navajo community and Deaf community at different parts of his life has given Denny perspective on the importance of belonging.

“The Navajo people were forced from their homeland, then came back. It taught us to value culture, language, and identity. The same things that are central to the deaf community. You can see that in the Deaf President Now movement, for example. The community was showing how important it was to have a leader that reflected their language and culture.”

After graduating from ASDB, Denny was aware of Gallaudet University but didn’t feel that it was the right time to apply. He returned to Pinon, AZ and enrolled at Diné College in Tsaile, AZ. His time proved challenging, as he was forced to navigate school without interpreters. Still, Denny is glad that he had the opportunity to mature before entering Gallaudet.

“I learned a lot about myself,” he says. “It was the right decision for me. If I had entered Gallaudet right after high school, I don’t know if I would have succeeded.”

One year before graduating with his A.A degree, Denny spoke with his academic advisor about applying to Gallaudet. After completing his degree, he arrived on the Gallaudet campus in fall of 2016.

Finding identity

Coming to Gallaudet reminded Denny of his first days at ASDB. It felt like culture shock to be around deaf and hard of hearing signers again. Being surrounded by so many new personalities felt overwhelming, but exciting.

“Classmates become family when you see them in the classroom and walking around the halls,” Denny says. “One of the best parts of Gallaudet is that it’s so diverse and inclusive.

“It feels like I became friends with the very first people I met during NSO,” he recalls about peers like Kori Koss, ’18, and Tramarvious “Dee” Hosley ’20 & G-’22. “And they’re still my friends today. We encouraged and motivated each other. I don’t know if we would have made it without that support.”

Denny carried a deep appreciation for art, whether traditional or modern. Art forms such as weaving and silversmithing have been vital parts of Navajo life for hundreds of years. He decided to major in Art and Media Design at Gallaudet, with minors in Photography and Graphic Design. 

After spending so much time in the small town of Pinon, Denny was ready to take advantage of big city life. He explored the museums and coffee shops around Washington, D.C. When time permitted, he traveled out of state to places like New York and Pennsylvania, reveling in his newfound independence.

Denny worked around campus during his time at Gallaudet. He has fond memories of supervisors Evon J. Black, ’87, G-’96 & EDS ’25, now Manager of the Center for Black Deaf Studies, and Trina Schooley, ’92X, former Recruitment Coordinator.

Beth Benedict, ’80 & PhD ’03, former Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach, gave Colin a full-time role working at the Admissions Office. His responsibilities included calling deaf schools around the country to survey how many of their students planned to apply to Gallaudet.

As a young child in Pinon, he had felt like the only deaf person in the world. His work for the Admissions Office made him realize just how many deaf and hard of hearing students were out there, searching for belonging. He began to move toward his true calling.

Denny’s family is full of teachers, including his parents. Even so, he never envisioned himself entering the family business until his time at Gallaudet. As he learned more about the need for deaf educators, he began to realize the difference he could make.

Denny remembered the American Sign Language classes he had taken when first entering Gallaudet. Even though he had attended ASDB and knew ASL, he was surprised to find how much he learned from the classes and enjoyed them. He credits professors like Ritchie Bryant, ’93, with making his time both fun and challenging. Denny wondered if he could do the same.

“I realized that I have a lot to give back and offer,” Denny says. Peers and mentors like Felicia Williams, ’12 & G-’13, encouraged him to dream big. After graduating with his bachelor’s in Art and Media Design, Denny enrolled in graduate school to obtain his master’s in Sign Language Education.

Finding self

After finishing graduate school in 2021, Denny found himself back in New Mexico, working as a ASL mentor near his birthplace of Shiprock. The challenges that had shaped him as a young Navajo now gave him a unique ability to connect with the children in the area.

“It was an honor to be so close to my first home,” Denny says. “There are many indigenous kids in the area screaming for language access. I want to be a positive role model for the indigenous community. When people look at me, they see what deaf kids can do when they have access to language.”

Denny also became a Research Assistant at the University of Arizona. He helped catalogue records of North American Indian Sign Language, ensuring that it lives on. He used both North American Indian Sign Language and ASL to perform “America the Beautiful” alongside singer Babyface at Super Bowl LVII.

After working in New Mexico for three years, another homecoming opportunity came Denny’s way in Arizona. He’s now in his third year working as a Deaf Mentor at his alma mater of ASDB. He supports families with deaf and hard of hearing children, including teaching them sign language.

“My role is to accommodate and advocate for families,” Denny says. “I ask myself, ‘What do they want and need?’ Families appreciate that I center their language, identity, and culture. I want the experience to be validating for them.”

Denny is also an adjunct ASL professor at Coconino Community College in Flagstaff, AZ. Many students approach him to express their gratitude, having never experienced an indigenous teacher teaching sign language.

Denny’s story is proof that growth comes from having the courage to follow your heart, no matter where it leads you. As he fosters language access and sign language use in Arizona, he’s no longer searching for home himself. He’s building it for others, one family and one student at a time.

“Home starts where you’re exposed to education,” Denny says. “And it’s where you learn more about your culture, identity, and self.”

He knows he’ll always have another one back east in Washington, D.C. He credits the friends, peers, and mentors at Gallaudet who played a part in his journey.

“Kori and Dee. Beth Benedict, Evon Black, and Trina Schooley. Ritchie Bryant and Felicia Williams, all the other MASLED faculty, and Art and Media faculty, as well. They’ve shaped me into the person I am today.

“If it wasn’t for Gallaudet, I wouldn’t be where I am today. It’s a great place to learn how to navigate the world. Gallaudet gives you every resource you need. All you have to do is just be yourself.”

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Gallaudet offers an M.A. degree track in Sign Language Education. Visit the MASLED webpage to learn more.