Deerheart Raymond

By putting her on a path to a higher education, Bay Path College transformed the life of Diane “Deerheart” Raymond ’05. The daughter of a Nipmuc tribe clan mother, Deerheart wanted to earn her bachelor’s degree, which would make it possible for her to pursue graduate studies and to follow her heart to a career enabling her to share her Native American culture and stories. Undoubtedly, she transitioned into the One-Day-A-Week Saturday College at Bay Path’s Central Massachusetts Campus, and found a community encouraging her to reveal her stories. “Strawberry Moon,” her revelation of the power of forgiveness, will appear this fall in a popular textbook for first-year college students, The Norton Field Guide to Writing, with readings.

“I had always wanted to bring out the stories of my people, the Nipmuc Indians,” said Deerheart. “In every course, my heritage would weave itself into the topics of discussion. My classmates were intrigued, and we were thrilled to have Dr. John Jarvis spark our interest in Native American literature. It was in his course I was encouraged to learn more about myself and share my personal history rather than recite favorite stories.”

Deerheart’s essay “Strawberry Moon” recounts her revelation to the power of forgiveness during a trying time in her life as a young mother whose marriage was falling apart as well as her return to her Native path. Deerheart’s life lesson was submitted to the Norton Field Guide editors and selected to appear in the well-received text. “By sharing my stories, I can have a positive impact on the lives of others.”