I’m a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and I’m quite proud of that. My interests are in legal and political issues of sovereignty, especially pertaining to tribal nations. I graduated from the University of Virginia in 2022 with a B.A. in Government, with a minor in Native American Indigenous Studies. I was the very first person to declare and to graduate with that minor. While at UVA, I was social chair, then co-president of the Native American Student Union and participated in collaborative groups comprised of Native and non-Native faculty, staff, students, and community members working on and advising the administration on Native issues at the University. I helped fight for the removal of statues of Lewis and Clark, which negatively portrayed Sacajawea, and of George Rogers Clark, which showed a scene of active genocide. After the removal of the George Rogers Clark statue, I was selected to help consult and advise on what to do with the removed statue and the land upon which it previously sat. Due to that committee’s recommendation, the University committed over $1 Million to transforming the site to a place of healing and representation for Indigenous people, highlighting living Native people. I developed marketing, public speaking, public relations, and leadership skills during my time serving the Native community in Charlottesville. I have multiple articles published in various periodicals, which are linked here on my LinkdIn page.
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