Ellamae Looney

EllaMae advocates for language revitalization among Native youth in Oregon. She’s learning all three Native languages spoken in her tribal community – Walla Walla, Nez Perce and Umatilla – and is surveying Native youth to determine how to best deliver language lessons. EllaMae believes that language is a critical aspect of Native American identity. “Tomorrow […]

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Vanessa Goodthunder

Vanessa Goodthunder has dedicated her life to learning and teaching her languages. Vanessa works with a nonprofit organization called Dakota Wicohan (Dakota Way of Life) as both a youth participant and later, a language instructor supporting Dakota language curriculum development. As a Generation Indigenous Youth Ambassador, Vanessa started the Daunkotapi group, which connects youth from […]

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Mariah Gladstone

A graduate of Columbia University, Mariah is passionate about food sovereignty and health and wellness. Mariah created INDIGIKITCHEN, a web-video cooking show that teaches viewers to prepare traditional pre-contact foods for modern, healthy meals. Mariah leads culturally responsive wellness classes like Powwow Zumba to encourage healthy lifestyles in her community, in addition to other classes focused […]

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Shawna Garza

Shawna grew up in foster care and is working to counter stereotypes of Native American foster youth. By striving to be a mentor and leader in her community, Shawna hopes to inspire other youth to break intergenerational cycles of abuse and addiction. Shawna is a role model to her younger siblings and peers alike, encouraging […]

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