The following student profiles have completed the American Indians Studies Track.
Interview: Tiffany Tasker
By: Najma Abdi
It was a pleasure interviewing Tiffany Tasker, who graduated with a BA in Ethnic Studies and an American Indian Studies Track in 2018. She is currently completing a master's of social science program here at The University of Colorado Denver with a track in Ethnic Studies and plans to pursue a PhD in Ethnic Studies. Tiffany is interested in focusing on policy and creating programs and institutions that create a more equitable society, following in the steps of Dr. Lisa Calderon who Tiffany took an Ethnic Studies course with as an undergraduate. She hopes to continue the teachings of the professors in the ethnic studies department in order to continue their legacies. Professor Donna Martinez and Professor Dennis Green were her biggest mentors during her undergrad years, and still are.
Tiffany is a McNair scholar. She found this program after delivering a speech aa an Ethnic Studies Puksta Fellow at an event where the senior McNair coordinator, Jessic
a Luna, reached out to her about the program. The McNair program helps fund students in their graduate degrees. In the community, Tiffany is also the director of outreach and marketing of The Financial Education and Economic Transformation (FEET) Center, which is a vital resource for underserved youth and assists with teaching financial literacy in underserved communities. Tiffany’s undergrad years began with a focus in the pre-engineering track for mechanical engineering but after taking an African American History course with Professor Green to fulfill her prerequisites, she fell in love with the course and decided to continue to take more of Professor Green’s courses and this eventually led her to switch her major to Ethnic Studies.
Tiffany’s father instilled the teachings of her culture and history and tried to correct what schools would teach her. That has also influenced her passion for ethnic studies and learning more about her history. Tiffany's ethnic background includes Filipino, Indian, African American, and Native American (Cherokee from her father’s side), Tiffany believes that her father taught her about her family roots so she does not identify with one specific ethnicity, rather, she does try to identify and learn as much as she can about all of her ethnicities.
Her passion for learning more about her family history motivated her to pursue the American Indian Studies track. Tiffany believes that the ethnic studies department has benefited her because of the sense of community and support from professors in the department. Taking these courses has also allowed her to become more vocal and empowered.
Overall, Tiffany’s passion for ethnic studies and instilling the idea of learning more about who you are is very inspiring. She will continue to pursue her education by entering a PhD program and continue the legacies built within the ethnic studies department.
Interview: Laura Brussel
By: Najma Abdi
I got the opportunity to interview Laura Brussel who graduated with an anthropology Bachelor of Arts degree. After graduating with her anthropology degree, Laura plans on getting more experience in many different areas in the museum field. Her plans are to focus on a specific field pertaining to museum studies including creating, collection and research management, education or visitor operation. Aside from getting experience within museum work, Laura does plan on getting her masters in museum anthropology in the fall of 2020 or 2021 after picking a specific focus.
Laura’s passion for working in the museum has intensified after interning for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Laura has earned her American Indian Studies certificate and the requirements for the certificate included working on an internship or an independent study, which led her to look into this internship. Interning for the Native American Intern Program at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science has opened up many doors and opportunities for Laura. This program is a research based internship aimed at students enrolled in a tribe and/or wanting to learn more about Native American culture and history. Her experience there created a space to expand her opportunities and her strong connection with her internship coordinator has led her to go to a conference in Santa Fe for museum anthropology and tribal community relationship building which she felt was a step forward into the direction she wants to take for her masters.
Laura’s tribe, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, were working on an online database of Choctaw and southeastern items and artifacts and Laura’s supervisor at the internship reached out to her and gave her this opportunity after they contacted the museum. Throughout her experience at her internship at the museum, Laura got interested in Native American beadwork and was inspired to learn more about beadworking. She got back into beadwork after being surrounded by their amazing work at the museum and has now turned it into a hobby to create necklaces, hats, and her graduation cap as a way to be more open and embrace her Native American culture.
The American Indian certificate program has really pushed Laura’s passion for research and collection with artifacts in the museum and she believes that Professor Donna Martinez’s mentorship and guidance led her to pick a role as a Native American in the field of museum anthropology. Her interest in her Choctaw Nation tribe has led her to take American Indian courses and continue to earn the certificate.
Laura’s found passion for American Indian studies has led to many open doors as far as opportunities pertaining to her future grad plans. She has thanked the ethnic studies department, especially the American Indian certificate program and Professor Donna Martinez for building her interest in museum anthropology.
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Interview: Clint Lewis
By: Najma Abdi
I had the opportunity to interview Clint Lewis (Apache) who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ethnic Studies and American Indian Studies Track in the fall of 2019. Clint hopes to move to Arizona after graduation to study either Native American studies or Chicano studies.
The American Indian Studies classes in the Track allowed him to learn more about many tribes, and also acquire a different outlook on his own tribe. Clint mentions Dr. Martinez’s mentorship as one of the many reasons he learned a lot about Native history. He appreciated the opportunity to learn what she had to share as well as the countless research opportunities she offered Clint during his time in undergrad. Clint’s first research fellowship was with the EUReCA program for American Indian Studies guided by Dr. Martinez. For the RAcAS research conference poster presentation, he presented his research on American Indian women’s leadership. During his fellowship he also researched the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women/girls. Clint was also a Martinez scholarship recipient.
The ethnic studies department here at the University of Colorado Denver served Clint as a support system with Dr. Martinez and Professor Green as his core support. Taking Ethnic Studies courses allowed him to learn about American history through different lenses and has provided him with a strong foundation for graduate school. Being involved with both the American Indian Services and the Ethnic Studies department gave him the opportunity to learn through a blend of scholarship and community knowledge.
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Interview: Danielle Peterson
By: Najma Abdi
Danielle Peterson (Lakota) is working on her bachelor’s degree in 3D animations, a minor in digital design, and a certificate in American Indian Studies. Her post grad plans include 
making Pixar DreamWorks animation movies. Danielle started off with an animal science major and found out that her passion resided with drafting and design. She completed an associate degree in graphic design and switched her major to 3D animation for her bachelor’s degree. Her inspiration was derived from the movie, How to Train a Dragon, and her career plans are to reflect cultural stories in the movies that we can see.
The American Indian Studies Certificate at the University of Colorado Denver has given Danielle the opportunity to learn more about Native American history. Taking American Indian Studies courses in Ethnic Studies has allowed her to learn more about her culture. Her grandmother is a quarter blood Sicangu Oyate Lakota. Danielle spent most of her summers in Winner, South Dakota on the reservation where her grandmother lives, She noticed the disconnect between the Natives American and white Americans at the reservation, One of the things Danielle enjoyed about the reservation was going to the powwow with her cousins and attending ceremonies.
In Danielle's free time, she enjoys beading, she’s even taught her father the essence of beading. Most of the beadwork she’s done includes moccasins and loom. She sends it to her cousins and they’d sometimes sell her beadwork for her.
Danielle is a creative and hardworking individual, and with her passion for both 3D animation and learning more about American Indian history, she hopes to continue to reflect the cultural history of American Indians into her animations in the near future.
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Interview: Donovan David
By: Najma Abdi
I had the opportunity to interview Donovan David (Navajo) who is majoring in Biology and completing the Online American Indian Studies certificate, and the Environmental Stewardship of Indigenous Lands certificate. He is in the process of applying to Veterinary School with hopes of starting in Fall 2021.
For Donovan’s independent study, he focused on the impact animals have on indigenous culture and traditional healing practices on animals. By doing this, he uncovered the first indigenous veterinarians and their techniques of healing.
Donovan thinks that American Indian Studies courses are challenging and require personal reflection. He also enjoyed the flexibility of the courses being taught online. Taking American Indian Studies courses has reminded Donovan of the resilience Indigenous people have modeled, which is a constant reminder to him to never give up.
Donovan believes that CU Denver students should take American Indian Studies courses because it is important to understand the true history of how this country was established. He states that students should consider American Indian Studies courses because of the hundreds of unique tribes and how indigenous people maintain independent cultures, politics, social practices, healthcare systems, and environmental practices.
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Hunter Tolison graduated from the University of Colorado Denver in Spring 2020 with a B.S. in Biology. He plans to attend medical school in the Fall of 2021. Hunter currently works at the Anschutz Medical Campus coordinating clinical research and special projects for the Division of Hematology.
“The Native American Certificate gave me a broad understanding of the history, culture, and current social issues of the people removed from this land (which was really not that long ago). This certificate changed my view of the history of the United States and has motivated me to form my own opinions about our society. In general, it has helped me have a more open and critical-thinking mind about the human social world (which I have learned is much different than the scientific world). I am confident Dr. Martinez’s courses have made be a better ally and will be a tool to help me become a great provider.”