My undergraduate degree is from UNM with a double major in Native American Studies and Anthropology. However, I've had a range of different work and academic experiences. I took a break between earning an Associates of Applied Science in Film and returning to academics a decade later. During that time I worked as a furniture and cabinet maker in NM and WA, as well as a cameraperson for music and documentary films. I first returned to school at UNM-Taos branch and took a limited number of courses online while I was still working full-time. Then, with the help of work-study, undergraduate research opportunities that offered scholarships, and other campus services for underrepresented and low-income students, I was able to move to Albuquerque and complete my degree in-person. Making the move to main campus gave me the chance to connect with other students, professors, and campus groups that led to my current positions in Mellon and the Center for Southwest Research, and has led to other research and community involvement.

Speaking from my experiences in humanities at UNM in the Native American Studies and now Chicana and Chicano Studies programs, I can say that I appreciate how interdisciplinary the programs are. I have learned frameworks and practices that will assist me in helping my community in ways that fit my skills, interests, and upbringing. As well, the connections between community organizations and folks in my academic departments, helps me see practical directions I can take my degree when I finish school.

During my time in the humanities programs at UNM, I have had the opportunity to attend and present at conferences, and host and volunteer at important community gatherings. As an undergraduate, I was an El Puente undergraduate research Fellow supported by El Centro de la Raza. My research proposal, which inquired into traditional running traditions as land-based research, led to co-organizing the Traditions of Endurance conference, a primarily Indigenous discussion and celebration of the many roles of dancing and running. Along with my current role as a Mellon Graduate Assistant, which gives me the chance to support other transfer and non-traditional students achieve success in humanities programs, I hold a position as the Distinctive Native American Collections Fellow at the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections. In this position I have the chance to assist with various projects of preservation, accessibility, outreach, and generating new culturally appropriate models of managing archival content.