Whitney Sawney is graduating from the University of Arkansas. She shares a powerful story about overcoming adversity, seeking help, and moving forwrd for the better. It is a great story, and one that needs to happen more in Indian Country. We cannot be afraid to seek help.
Jason Croxton is Navajo. Currently he serves as an in-house attorney for the Wild Horse Pass Development Authority . The authority is an enterprise of the Gila River Indian Community . He has a great job, but it has not come without hard work and dedication. In this episode, we talk not only about his personal story, but about what it really means when things “align” for someone. Alignment does not happen on its own. Some magical energy in the universe does not magically clear the path for you. ...
Jessica Metcalfe, founder of Beyond Buckskin Jessica Metcalfe ( Twitter , Instagram ) is Turtle Mountain Chippewa. She is the owner of Beyond Buckskin Boutique and also runs the Beyond Buckskin blog. Beyond Buckskin is all about Native fashion. The boutique sells products and merchandise designed by some of the leading Native American fashion designers in the country. Before starting Beyond Buckskin, Jessica attended Dartmouth College and then received a Master's and Ph.D at the University of Ar...
#Nativeambition #Nativeambition is a new hashtag. It builds upon the efforts of # dearnativeyouth and the Gen-I movement. The goal is to hear from Native youth (and others!) about their goals. Native youth need to hear the messages from others that were shared under the #dearnativeyouth hashtag. That is important because for so long, many may not have heard those thoughts and feelings. #Nativeambition is the equally important way for us to listen to Native youth about their goals. Ambition often...
Rezonate Art Warren Montoya is the co-founder of Rezonate Art . Warren is from the Santa Ana and Santa Clara pueblos in New Mexico. Warren Montoya, image courtesy of Rezonate Art Eric Manolito is an employee at Rezonate Art. Eric is Navajo (Dine). The company helps contemporary Native artists build and audience and sell their works through the Rezonate website. We discuss how an interest in art led Warren to start Rezonate, and where they see it growing both in the short term and in 3-5 years. R...
Haven Harris Haven Harris is Inupiaq Eskimo from Nome, Alaska. Haven works in government contracting as a means for economic development for Alaska Natives. We have a great conversation that spans attending the University of Michigan site unseen, his incidental foray into politics, and how he got into the world of business for Alaska Natives. Courtesy Dennis Worden This is a great episode with lots of good information. Haven is a friend and I was not disappointed with the interview. One of the t...
Shon Quannie Shon Quannie is Pueblo of Acoma, Hopi and New Mexican. He owns 4X studio based in Phoenix, Arizona. On this episode of the NextGen Native podcast, we discuss his work at 4X Studio and design generally. Shon Quannie, courtesy of Shon Quannie I have to give Shon Quannie a shout out because he helped design the NextGen Native logo. We discuss its meaning in the episode, so if you are curious about how it came to be, check it out! ### Podcast Subscribe to the podcast to get the latest e...
Kelly Lendsay Kelly Lendsay is the President & CEO of the Aboriginal Human Resources Council. He also leads its sister organization, Kocihta. In this episode of the podcast, we discuss the work of the council and Kochihta. The council helps create demand from companies to hire Native employees. Kocihta helps create the supply of these workers. Kelly Lendsay, courtesy of the Aboriginal Human Resource Council Kelly’s work goes beyond Canada. We discuss his efforts to build relationships in the...
Monica Simeon and the Beginning of Sister Sky Monica is a Spokane tribal member. She attended the University of Washington. She almost left school before graduating but was able to stick with it. After graduate, Monica worked for a tribal casino. But Monica got the itch of an entrepreneur. Monica is now CEO of Sister Sky. The company makes all natural products such as soap, shampoo, conditioners, etc. on her tribe's reservation. The company's formulas are rooted in traditional tribal ingredients...
Megan Redshirt-Shaw is an enrolled member of Oglala Sioux Tribe. She is the founder and editor of Natives in America . Megan’s parents were both academic and so growing up she moved across the country. When looking at college, she chose to attend Penn because it was a campus where she had not lived with her parents. In this episode, we discuss why 2015 is going to be the year of the Native. The power and relatively cheap cost of the Internet makes it easier than ever for Natives to get our voice...
