The first Indigenous educator to be named Arizona’s Teacher of the Year has been inducted into the Grand Canyon University Hall of Fame.

Lynette Stant, a third-grade teacher at Salt River Schools, earned her master’s degree in 2006 from GCU. In 2022, she was named Arizona’s top teacher. She’s been a teacher in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community for more than a dozen years. 

On February 22, Stant, who is Navajo, was inducted into the hall of fame along with three other alumni and an athletic team.

Stant serves on multiple school and district leadership committees, according to a press release.

“Indigenous teachers aren’t always asked to sit at the table when it comes to decision making,” Stant said in a statement. “Because I have an advanced degree from GCU, I have been able to walk through some doors that were previously closed for me.

She continued, “I am truly honored to be in the alumni hall of fame. What it means to me is I am seen — and not just me, but my class work as an Indigenous teacher.”