2022 Tribal Agriculture Fellows
Congratulations to the inaugural cohort of the Tribal Agriculture Fellowship Program
Marquel Begay (Dine’ [Navajo])
Level: Graduate
University: University of Arizona
Major: Ecology, Management, and Restoration of Rangelands
Focus within major: Ecological restoration and community-based land management planning on the Navajo Nation.
Career goal: To serve as a good relative, educator, researcher, and liaison for tribal communities interested in improving and sustaining their agricultural and natural resources that supports and strengthens their local cultural knowledge and practices for future generations. I’d like to teach at Dine’ College, our reservation TCU.
Nicole Benally (Navajo)
Level: Graduate
Major: Forest & Conservation Sciences
Focus within major: Indigenous Food Sovereignty
Career goal: To serve Indigenous people by connecting them to resources that integrate contemporary community lifestyles with the preservation of their culture, food, language, and ecological knowledge.
Maddylon Burris (Chickasaw)
Level: CTE
College: Redlands Community College
Major: Agriculture Education
Focus within major: Teaching Agriculture Education
Career goal: Receive Associate in Agriculture Education from Redlands Community College; finish bachelor’s degree at Oklahoma State University; begin teaching Agriculture Education in public schools with the intent to focus on Native American students’ involvement in agriculture.
Carson Capps (Citizen Potawatomi Nation)
Level: Undergrad
University: Oklahoma State University
Major: Agribusiness
Focus within major: Pre-Law
Career goal: After graduating from Oklahoma State University, I plan to attend law school specializing in Indigenous Peoples Law. My intent is to use my education and advocate for agriculture and Native American communities in my home state of Oklahoma.
Jaelyn Dove (Lumbee)
Level: Undergrad
University: North Carolina State University
Major: Animal Science
Focus within major: Veterinary Bio-Sciences
Career goal: To finish my animal science degree and complete veterinary school. Then I will return to rural North Carolina to practice veterinary medicine in the Robeson/Bladen counties area.
Henry Hainzinger (Osage)
Level: CTE
University: Oklahoma State University-Institute of Technology
Major: Truck Technician
Focus within major: Diesel Mechanic
Career goal: My plan is to graduate, work for someone else for 2-3 years, and then build my own shop in Osage county. I would eventually like to run my own shop while still being able to help on the family ranch.
Gina McGuire (ʻŌiwi [Native Hawaiian])
Level: Grad
University: University of Hawai’i
Major: Geography & Environment
Focus within major: Indigenous Geographies of Wellness
Career goal: To start and operate a non-profit organization focused on restoring Hawaiʻi’s traditional foods and Native forest systems.
Santana Nez (Navajo)
Level: Grad
University: University of Arizona
Major: DVM Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Focus within major: Mixed Animal / Food; Animal Medicine
Career goal: To provide animal medicine services on rural Tribal and non-Tribal lands.
Justina Slim (Navajo)
Level: Undergrad
University: Colorado State University
Major: Animal Science & Agriculture Business
Focus within major: Bovine Reproduction and Genetics
Career goal: I would like to work for forward thinking companies like Select Sires and ABS Global to aid producers so they can make genetically informed decisions that will improve the beef product within their herds.
Brendan Walker (Navajo)
Level: Grad
University: University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine
Major: DVM Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Focus within major: Large Animal Medicine
Career goal: To practice as a mixed animal veterinarian on Tribal lands.