2022 Tribal Agriculture Fellows

Congratulations to the inaugural cohort of the Tribal Agriculture Fellowship Program

Marquel Begay

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

Nicole Benally (Navajo)

Level: Graduate 

University: University of Montana

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 Burri

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

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

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

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

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

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

 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

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.