I grew up on the Puyallup Tribe Reservation in Tacoma, Washington but I am a member of the Navajo Nation. My family resides across Washington, New Mexico and Arizona. I earned my high school diploma at Curtis Senior High School. This is my second year here at the University of Washington, I am studying History and American Indian Studies. I plan on working in the education system, primarily with an emphasis on Indigenous students. I currently work at a preschool in Seattle for the program Jumpstart. I enjoy working with a diverse population of students and helping them achieve early learning. Last year I had the opportunity to spend my whole spring break in Neah Bay, Washington on the Makah reservation. There I worked on a video project about careers on the Makah Reservation with 5th Grade Students at Neah Bay Elementary School. I also had the opportunity to visit the Makah Cultural Museum, attend a community dinner and learn more about the Makah Peoples culture. That short trip is what also inspired me to continue to work towards a degree that has an emphasis on teaching and mentoring.
Our Indigneous Leader is Whina Cooper. She is Te Rarawa Maori. We chose her as our Indigenous Leader because she represents an Indigenous woman who is not afraid to defy the social norms of a lady and used her activism as a way to support her people’s land.
