Our Native youth are the future of Indian country. There is perhaps no better list of achievements than those attained by the young people who inspire us to make the world a better place. Here is a list of true champions for 2017.
Cierra Fields
Cierra Fields was only 14 when she was named one of five 2013 Champions for Change by the Center for Native American Youth. When the White House convened its first United State of Women Summit in 2016, Fields, then a 17-year-old advocate against sexual assault and a rape survivor from Fort Gibson, Oklahoma (Cherokee) was one of eight women brought to Washington D.C. by the White House. Now a newly accepted college student at the University of Oklahoma studying broadcast journalism and a contributor to Indian Country Media Network, she continues to impress all around her.
Raven Swamp —Miss Indian World 2017
Raven Swamp, 23, of Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada, and a Mohawk citizen, was crowned 2017 Miss Indian World at the 34th Annual Gathering of Nations. “Part of my platform is going to be focused on language revitalization and indigenous food sovereignty,” Swamp said after being crowned. The 23-year-old teaches at the Karihwanó:ron Mohawk Immersion school and is working to establish an organic, self-sufficient farming project to gain economic independence through food sovereignty. As the cultural ambassador for indigenous people worldwide, Raven Swamp will spend her year as Miss Indian World traveling and promoting cultural awareness of Native people.
Faith Holyan
Faith Holan (Navajo) is a 17-year-old from Coyote Canyon, New Mexico. After losing a friend to suicide, she created the social media campaign #codepurple, aimed at enabling people in crisis to reach out for help when words are hard to find. She now travels the country, encouraging Native youth and communities to break the silence around suicide. She is also an Indian Rodeo world champion, holding titles in the ladies’ breakaway category. She was named a 2017 Champion for Change by the Center for Native American Youth at The Aspen Institute.
Nancy Deere-Turney
Nancy Deere-Turney is a 23-year-old from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation who started the Youth Enrichment Camp. The primary goal of the camp is to talk to youth about the importance of culture, ways to combat suicide and other social issues faced by contemporary Native youth. As a former Junior Miss, Miss Muscogee (Creek) Nation and as the chairperson for the Language and Culture Committee of the Mvskoke Nation Youth Council, she is actively involved in her tribe’s government and is the current Udall Native American Congressional Intern at the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C.
Sam Schimmel
Sam Schimmel, a 17-year-old from the Kenaitze and Saint Lawrence Yupik tribes, is also a 2017 Champion for Change with the Center for Native American Youth. As an avid environmentalist, he is working with policymakers to raise awareness about the effects of climate change on Alaska Native subsistence ways of life. He also strives to increase his peers’ interest in cultural preservation, and encourages them to join him in hunting, picking berries, learning traditional songs and prayers, and spending time with elders. He is working with policymakers on initiatives that will improve life for Native people in his home state of Alaska.
Trenton Casillas-Bakeberg
Trenton Casillas-Bakeberg (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe) is a 21-year-old Lakota community activist from Eagle Butte, South Dakota who co-founded the Tawacin Wanzila, One Mind Youth Movement, a youth group focused on empowering reservation communities to engage in local humanitarian projects. The OMYM is currently working with the CRST tribal council to promote suicide prevention by establishing Youth Safe Houses on the reservation. He is also a water protector, involved in nonviolent direct action for water rights and environmental justice. He says he envisions a world where all people coexist and work together to reverse the damage done to the planet during the fossil fuel era. Vanessa Goodthunder Vanessa Goodthunder (Lower Sioux Indian Community) is a 23-year-old from Morton, Minnesota, who has worked as a Dakota language instructor with the nonprofit Dakota Wicohan, which uses Dakota horse culture as a centerpiece for cultural connection and spiritual wellness. As a Gen-I Ambassador, she founded the Daunkotapi group, which connected youth from the four Dakota communities in Minnesota to talk about issues facing Native youth. She currently serves as aide to the chief of staff of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, and was a 2016 CNAY Champion for Change.
Rory Taylor
Rory Taylor is a 21-year-old from the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma. While a student at Pomona College, he founded and directed the Claremont College IndigeNATION Scholars program, which paired Claremont mentors with Native students at three local high schools to facilitate college readiness sessions, cultural education, and connections between Native students and their communities. Taylor earned a White House internship with the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs in 2016, and was recently awarded the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Award in recognition of his excellence and leadership in public service. He was also the recipient of a Udall Scholarship and was a 2015 CNAY Champion for Change.
Jazmyn Espinoza
Jazmyn Espinoza (Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohican Indians), 20, founded the Warrior Circle Project as a safe space for youth to support one another through challenges such as sexual violence and suicide ideation. This work earned her recognition as a 2014 CNAY Champion for Change. Jazmyn is a published author of young adult fiction, with titles such as Dream Catcher, which centers on a young Native woman protagonist. As a mother of two, she is also a strong advocate for mental health and sexual assault survivors.
