Biography

I was born and raised in the Santa Monica Mountains, just north of Los Angeles, California. Growing up there, the chaparral and oak forests offered an impeccable education in the processes of the natural world. Above all, it left me deeply interested in the relationships between human beings and ecosystems—an interest that led me to archaeology. Unfortunately, American archaeology has a long tradition of perpetuating Manifest Destiny in the creation and control of Native American history and identity—leaving a legacy of intergenerational trauma tied to the field. Coming from a Native family, these issues aren’t simply theoretical but lived experiences. At the same time, I’ve seen the potential of archaeological research guided by Native communities in strengthening and rebuilding ancestral knowledge and validating tribal history. During my time at the University of California, Berkeley, I worked on collaborative projects with Native communities and came to understand the potential for archaeology as a decolonizing practice capable of empowering Indigenous self-determination. I see great promise in the meeting of scientific and Native worldviews that they can be mutually informative and co-creative in developing meaningful answers for the problems we are facing today. While at Cambridge I will work towards understanding my own ancestors while pursuing a decolonizing archaeology that can meaningfully support, empower, inform Indigenous communities. I am very excited to be part of the Gates Cambridge community and look forward being part of a diverse group of international scholars collectively working to improve the lives of others.

Previous Education

University of California, Berkeley