Kristina Haskell has been on her own since the age of 16. In high school, she held down three jobs just to pay the $300 monthly rent and living expenses in Winslow, Arizona, a border town off the Navajo Reservation.

"I grew up real fast," she said as she talked about her hardships - even during her years at Winslow High.

She recently attended her 10-year high school reunion, even though she didn't receive an invitation. "I figured they'd probably forgotten all about me because I never really fit in, anyway," she said. "When I was a senior they voted me most likely to be working at Arbys. People really didn't think I was going to make anything of myself."

Today, she owns her own home, runs a successful accounting business, holds many positions including an appointment to the City of Phoenix Human Relations Commission, and according to her colleagues is fast becoming a mover and a shaker in the metro Phoenix area.

Haskell's accounting career started back in high school where she earned $3 an hour, training wages, she said, doing grunt work at Norman Pruett Accounting, then flipped burgers at a fast food joint, and worked weekends at a motel. But that wasn't enough as she was also involved in several clubs and two years as president of the Future Business Leaders of America.

At Pruett Accounting, she learned accounting the old fashioned way. "I think that doing accounting using the manual process helped me become really good at understanding accounting because now many people rely on computers to do all the work. That's fine, but if you know it the old way then you really know what is going on with their financial activity, and you can offer recommendations on what you see."

After completing high school, Lee's Accounting offered her a full-time job, but she had just gotten married and her family decided to move to Phoenix so she could attend Arizona State University.

While attending ASU she worked on the side for some accounting firms. "I continued learning about accounting, even performed some audit reviews," she said. "I also helped one company go public. That is something not a lot of people in the business get to do." So, after graduating from ASU she had a ton of experience and started applying to some major accounting firms.

"I got interviewed by some of the top firms in the country, like Ernest & Young, and I was getting ready to accept a job offer with one when I found out that I was pregnant," she said.

An unexpected pregnancy changed her plans. "First, it was difficult for me to accept a job and have a baby at the same time. But I wanted to have a baby and that choice caused problems with my marriage." Later, she and her husband would separate.

So at the age of 27, she set out once again on her own. "It wasn't a hard choice [to get into business on my own] because I already knew a lot of people in the business,"Haskell said.   Avalon was the name of the street she lived on and "A" was high in the telephone directory. "Something I learned in marketing," she said. So she chose that name in 2002.

Today, she has three employees and her business has allowed her to do more than just accounting.   She has even brokered some six-figure business deals for her clients. "I've helped match up some clients," she said.

She bought her own home and has become noticeable in Phoenix, and was asked to be on a board for the City of Phoenix, and serve as finance officer for the Arizona Indian Chamber of Commerce, among other boards.

She talks about how hard it is to be the first in the family to go off the Reservation, graduate from college, and start a business because you haven't necessarily had role models.

"It's hard because sometimes I think my family doesn't understand what I am doing," Haskell said. "Sometimes I feel as if they think I am just running around Phoenix."

Ron Williams, director of the Grand Canyon Minority Supplier Develop-ment Council, said Haskell stood out when he first met her. "I could tell she was a diamond in the rough," said Williams, now a close friend and mentor.   He said being the first in a minority family has a lot of challenges because the family often can't relate to what the family member is doing. "Because they don't understand they don't provide a lot of support," he said.

It's obvious that if you start a business on the Reservation people can see what you're doing everyday, like taking a check to the bank. They can see you working. But if you run your own business six hours away from the Reservation, and you don't clock in with someone, people on the Rez wonder what you do.

While writing this story, I discussed this common situation with my associate editor, a non-Indian, originally from Ohio.

"Oh yeah," he explained. "My father worked for General Motors his whole life. For him, if you had any job outside of a factory it wasn't a real job.   I was the first in my family tree to go to college.   When I told my family I was going to get a degree in photography and journalism and work in that field, they didn't think it was a real job. There was jealousy. They couldn't understand how someone could make a living taking pictures."

"There's not a lot of minority, Native American women under 30 who are in business for themselves," said Williams, who once was the Native American business development director for the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development in Mesa, Arizona. "In fact, I don't know of any Native American woman in accounting.   "Someone like Haskell is rare."

"Nobody has ever really done the research. It's not out there," said Williams. "But we can say that Kristina is the only Native American women business that has a contract with the City of Phoenix and is one of two Native American women certified with a state wide agency.

A lot of Haskell's success comes from networking and word of mouth referrals. By becoming certified as a woman-owned minority business, she has received contracts from the City of Phoenix and state organizations.

So what values does she look for?   "Respect and honesty are very important to me," she said. "I need to like the people I work with.   I recently hired someone that has no experience in accounting. Why did I do that?   Because that person believes in me and is committed.   That is what I look for," she said.

She's not comfortable talking about all the reasons that led to her being on her own while still a teenager. "I need to keep all that private," she said. "But I can say this: I think everyone needs to become independent early in their life.   It forces you to become responsible."

What drives her?   Her grandmother.   "She always encouraged me to make something of myself," she said. "When I was a child I did a lot of reading because we didn't have electricty.   I'm still like that, I hardly ever watch TV."

Profile:   Kristina Haskell

Tribe:   Navajo - Hopi/Tewa

Age:   29

Position:   President/CEO of Avalon Accounting

Interests:    Volunteer on several boards to promote Native interests, business diversity and a sense of community among all groups.   Some boards include: American Indian Chamber of Commerce (Board Treasurer), Wells Fargo Community Board, Evercare Hospice (a United Healthcare Organization).   Appointed Commissioner of the City of Phoenix for the Human Relations Commission.  

Best Saying:   "A rising tide raises all boats"

Clans:   Todichiinii & Kiyaanni

Community you are from:   Dilkon, Arizona (North of Winslow, Arizona)

Career aspirations:    Politics

Favorite website:   www.AvalonAccounting.com

Who is your role model:   My grandfather, Jim Mitchell

Favorite musician:   The Cremains, a Native American band.

Favorite book:   "Sunpainters: Eclipse of the Navajo"   by Bahe Whitethorne Sr.

Favorite food:   Pizza

Last movie watched:   "Smoke Signals" - Autographed by Irene Bedard

Education:   B.S. in accounting

High School:   Winslow High School

Other plans besides your accounting business: I would like to organize a non-profit to serve Native organizations.

Goals you'd like to achieve this year?   To empower my clients to be more successful and support them in growing their businesses.

Next five years?   To create a non-profit to educate, empower and create opportunities for Natives in long-term economic development and self-sufficiency.

Do you plan on seeking more education?   Yes, I plan on obtaining my Masters degree in Taxation and Law at Arizona State University.   I also would like to attend Dartmouth (Hanover, New Hampshire) to obtain a degree in Native American Studies.

What kind of grades did you get in high school?   A's

Were you the class clown? Class nerd? Jock?   I was very involved in school activities - I like to travel and learn about different things.    I was President of Future Business Leaders of American (FBLA), a member of the high school band, Tribe of Many Feathers, Upward Bound, Spanish Club, Science Club, and I was a Peer Counselor.   I also remember going on trips with Title V and Sister Michael.   Those were the days!   High school is the time to try new things and have fun making friends.

Who would you like to meet?   Other Native business owners and potential clients.

What Indian country leaders or business leaders would you like to meet?   I have met a few tribal leaders, CEO's and business owners and appreciate the support and encouragement I have received.   It's always good to give support and be supported by others.

What non-Native leaders would you like to meet? Leaders that are interested in learning about Native culture.   I think Natives can be overlooked in mainstream society and non-Native leaders could dispel some urban myths.   Governor Napolitano I respect.

Last non-business books read: The DaVinci Code

Last business books read:   CPA Review Books

Magazines & newspapers frequently read:   The Business Journal.   The Wall Street Journal, and REZ BIZ Magazine.

Did you vote in the last tribal election?   Yes

When is the last time you've been to a chapter house meeting?   A month ago.

Do you chat on the Internet?   No

What kind of car do you like and what do you drive now?   Anything good on gas.   I drive a Montero Sport.

Where would you like to live? Flagstaff, Arizona

Do you think much is being done by your tribal leader to make things better on the Rez?   I respect and appreciate that all leaders have a vision and have a personal commitment to better their community.