Media Mentions

Article, Yale University, Connecticut, Hawaii

Twelve seniors receive Yale College’s top student prizes

Joshua Ching of Ezra Stiles College graduates cum laude with distinction in both his majors: Ethnicity, Race, and Migration and Political Science. He has been a steadfast advocate for Pasifika and Indigenous communities at Yale, advancing cultural representation, education, and dialogue across campus.

Beyond Yale, Joshua has supported Native youth through the Center for Native American Youth [2025 Champion for Change, 2026 YAB Vice President] and contributed to legal access initiatives in Hawai‘i.

Champions for Change, Youth Advisory Board, Fellows, Youth, Kanaka Maoli, Kanaka Oiwi

Article / Interview, Underscore Native News, New York, Oregon

Umatilla NYU Student Building Financial Literacy App

Summer Wildbill is tackling financial literacy, starting with an app she is developing with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s Nixyáawii Community Financial Services. She hopes other Native youth can use it to feel empowered when it comes to their own finances.

Though still in undergrad, her career thus far has focused on economic development — through a study abroad program in Argentina, an internship with the United Nations and as a 2026 Champion for Change through the Center for Native American Youth, focusing her project on financial literacy. She was also a 2024 Remembering our Sisters Fellow.

Champions for Change, Fellows, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

Article, Native Americans in Philanthropy, California

Native Youth Grantmakers at NAPCON26

At the Interwoven Futures Breakfast (co-hosted by FreshTracks, Center for Native American Youth, and Native Americans in Philanthropy), the Native Youth Grantmakers, NYG Alumni, and Indigenous Tomorrows Fund Youth Advisory Committee Members were featured as guest speakers. They shared real world examples of how philanthropy can support Native youth in dreaming, building, and shaping their futures.

Partners, Staff, Youth

Press Release, KQED, Washington, DC

Roadtrip Nation Explores Mental Health Supports with New Series, ‘Where Wellbeing Grows’

Program Coordinator Neely Bardwell will be featured (at the CNAY office!) in an upcoming episode of PBS’ Roadtrip Nation.

Staff, Staff

Article / Interview, The Imprint

Two Former Foster Youth Are Among the Center for Native American Youth’s Annual Fellows

Two former foster youth, Christina (Mool-Mool) Kaltsukis of the Yakama Nation and Sunny (Puc) Wahquahboshkuk, of the Prairie Band Potawatomi and Muscogee Creek Nations, have received yearlong fellowships from the Center for Native American Youth to continue their advocacy work on behalf of tribal communities. The Imprint spoke with both recipients about their child welfare histories and what they hope to achieve over the course of the fellowship year.

Brave Heart Fellowship, Building Communities of Hope, Remembering Our Sisters, Fellows, Mvskoke Creek, Prairie Band Potawatomi, Yakama Nation

News Roundup, Ka Wai Ola, Hawaii

Toves Named a Champion for Change

News Briefs: Kaylah Toves from Oʻahu has been named one of six 2026 Champions for Change – a Native youth leadership initiative of CNAY designed to highlight positive stories of impact from Indigenous communities.

Champions for Change, Fellows, Acoma Pueblo, Kanaka Maoli

Newsletter, Knifemaneveryday Substack

First Light Forecast

NNO x CNAY Essay Contest featured as the “Cultural Highlight” of the day on Dallas Goldtooth's Substack (KnifemanEveryDay). "This might be one of the most important things happening right now — and it’s easy to overlook. Because this isn’t just a contest. It’s a shift."

Democracy is Indigenous, Partners

Press Release, Native News Online

Native News Online Launches “America 250: A Republic Built on Native Land”

One component of the initiative will include a National Native Youth Essay Contest. Native News Online, in collaboration with the Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) at the Aspen Institute, is inviting Native youth to share their perspectives on the complex history of 1776 and challenge how America views its 250th anniversary.

Democracy is Indigenous

Article / Press Release, Native News Online

Rising Leaders: CNAY Unveils 2026 Fellows Cohort

CNAY has announced the 2026 Fellows. The co-hort of two dozen aspiring Native leaders, ages 18-24, will convene on Cahuilla land in Palm Springs, Calif., later this month.

The Fellows’ shared curriculum focuses on sovereignty and self-determination. Designed for Native youth who aspire to serve their Tribal Nations as future leaders, decision-makers, and Nation builders, sessions will focus on building a practical understanding of sovereignty not just as a concept, but as it operates in real life – legally, financially, and institutionally.

Brave Heart Fellowship, California Native Youth Collective, Remembering Our Sisters, Fellows

Article, Native News Online

Cheyenne River Youth Project Creates Leadership Pathway for Local Teens

Cowins is not the only young adult following the YEI pathway from internships to leadership roles. A fellow trainee from his cohort, Wambli Gleska Quintana, was selected from a nationwide pool of applicants to join the 2024 Champions for Change team — created by the Center for Native American Youth, a policy program of the Aspen Institute — and also won a prestigious Gates Scholarship.

Champions for Change, Fellows, Cheyenne River Sioux