Indigenous students hone their policymaking skills at the annual Santa Fe Indian School Leadership Institute summer academy

Every morning at sunrise, New Mexico State University student Brad Louis pays tribute to his home, the Pueblo of Acoma in New Mexico, the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America.

In a daily ritual practiced by many of Acoma’s citizens, "we get to give thanks to the sun and Creator for giving us life and opportunities to grow and learn," says the incoming first-year student.

This summer, Louis (far right, rear row in group photo) was one of 16 scholars selected by teachers and community leaders to attend the Santa Fe Indian School Leadership Institute’s annual Summer Policy Academy, held on the Princeton campus, where visiting high school students and recent graduates study how government policies affect tribal communities.

This year’s students represented the Navajo Nation and six Pueblo Nations in New Mexico.

Working in a small group led by academy faculty mentor Rebecca Rae (Jicarilla Apache) of the University of New Mexico College of Population Health, Louis developed a policy proposal to coordinate the services for hospitals, public transportation and other critical infrastructure within the Acoma Pueblo and nearby communities.

Rather than operating as disparate bureaucracies, his proposal suggested, they could better serve residents using an interconnected community services model that would also align with a more holistic Indigenous approach to governance.

Regis Pecos (Cochiti Pueblo), a Class of 1977 Princeton alumnus and former University trustee, co-founded and co-directs the Santa Fe Indian School’s Leadership Institute. The summer academy at Princeton is part of a broader three-year curriculum that helps Indigenous students become "architects and authors of policy," he said.

Photo by

Matthew Raspanti, Office of Communications

‘New architects’ for Native policy

Louis and other Summer Policy Academy fellows studied at Princeton from June 8 to 14, then spent a week in Washington, D.C., where they presented their findings to senators, members of Congress and stakeholders.

Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) has hosted the academy 18 times since its inception in 2008, with support from Princeton's Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity. More than 300 students have attended.

The goal is to develop promising scholars who can be "new architects and authors of policy,” according to Leadership Institute co-founder and co-director Regis Pecos (Cochiti Pueblo), a Class of 1977 Princeton alumnus and former University trustee.

Student fellows at Summer Policy Academy participate in policy discussions, consider case studies, and attend lectures by Native leaders and subject matter experts. They then break into teams to research policy and develop proposals.

In addition to Rae’s community planning group, this year’s cohort worked on proposals targeting health care, led by faculty mentor Dr. Kristyn Yepa (Jemez Pueblo) from the policy research firm James Bell Associates; education, led by Preston Sanchez (Jemez Pueblo/Navajo) from the ACLU of New Mexico; and justice system reforms, led by attorney Casey Douma (Laguna Pueblo/Hopi-Tewa).

Shared aspirations

The summer academy at Princeton is part of a broader three-year Leadership Institute curriculum administered by the Santa Fe Indian School.

"At Princeton, we share the Leadership Institute's aspirations and are committed to incorporating an appreciation of the richness and uniqueness of Native and Indigenous knowledge and culture into our teaching and learning," said Shawn Maxam, Princeton's associate provost for institutional diversity and inclusion.

The University continues to expand its engagement with Native American and Indigenous communities through Indigenous scholarship, historical recognitions, partnerships, outreach and community service.

On-campus partners in this work include the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative at Princeton (NAISIP), the Princeton Indigenous Advocacy Coalition convened by the Undergraduate Student Government, the Princeton American Indian and Indigenous Studies Working Group (PAIISWG), and the Natives at Princeton student organization. The Effron Center for the Study of America is the home of both NAISIP and PAIISWG.

In March, the University named Kēhaulani Kauanui (Kanaka Maoli) as the inaugural Eric and Wendy Schmidt Professor of Indigenous Studies in Anthropology and the Effron Center for the Study of America, an endowed professorship to advance interdisciplinary studies on Indigenous communities with other departments.

Students at the academy focused their research and policy proposals around the idea of a “most desirable future” for their communities, which they conceptualized in posters as a first step toward developing policy proposals to present to senators, members of Congress and stakeholders in Washington, D.C.

Photo by

Matthew Raspanti, Office of Communications

Applying Indigenous perspectives

Elizabeth Ellis (Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma), an associate professor of history at Princeton, was among the Summer Policy Academy’s featured speakers. Ellis specializes in Native American and early American history.

She told students that one of her pursuits as a historian has been to underscore how data collected by outside observers in the past has misrepresented her people. This, in turn, led to poor policy decisions "replicating bad understandings of what our nations need, and we have real needs," Ellis said, encouraging academy fellows to help turn the tide.

Throughout the week, students at the academy focused their research and policy proposals around the central theme of a "most desirable future" for their communities.

Mara Kahn (Navajo/Pima-Maricopa), an incoming first-year student at Arizona State University who was part of Rae’s community planning group, worked on a proposal to recommend additional federal funding for Native health centers.

Kahn said she gained a deeper understanding of the policymaking process and valued the opportunity to study at Princeton “to learn more about the world and to continue expanding our knowledge to help our people."

A seat at the table in D.C.

In Washington, the fellows presented at the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, outlining proposals that ranged from a public school curriculum inclusive of Indigenous culture and language to innovative leases that would support community-based agriculture.

They also met with Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), New Mexico Senators Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich, and Kevin Gover of Princeton's Class of 1978 (Pawnee Tribe of Oklahoma), the Smithsonian's Under Secretary for Museums and Culture.

To bring the program's philosophy full circle, the cohort spoke with Jennifer Romero Monaco '97 (Santa Clara Pueblo), the Democratic staff director and chief counsel for the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and Cynthia Chavez Lamar (San Felipe Pueblo), director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, to showcase how people from tribal communities like theirs can shape policymaking dialogue both locally and nationally.

Douma, who has been a faculty member with the academy since its inception, said students come to realize through their studies and presentations the value of bringing Indigenous perspectives to policy decisions.

“It's through this experience that they understand how important their voice is in contributing to discussions, especially when it comes to what's in the best interest of our people,” Douma said. “Many times, we're spoken about but never spoken to. Getting that opportunity to feel confident in their voice — that's a very important part of the Summer Policy Academy."