Introducing the 2025-2026 Planet Forward Ilíiaitchik: Indigenous Correspondents!
Positive change begins with powerful stories. Stories that encourage us to learn from where we’ve been, reflect on what needs fixing (as well as what’s working) in the present, and inspire and move us to work together to create a better future. This year, the Ilíiaitchik: Indigenous Correspondents Program (ICP) is excited to share powerful stories from 10 Indigenous students who come from diverse communities, regions, and academic backgrounds; but who all share a vision for healing through storytelling.
From 70 strong applications – including submissions from six Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and from across 30 states – the ten students comprising this year’s ICP cohort stood out for their commitment to bettering their communities alongside strengthening their communication skills.
This year’s students come from seven Tribal Nations, including the Navajo Nation, Nenana Native Association, Tohono O’odham Nation, Pascua Yaqui Tribe, the Oglala Lakota Nation, Cherokee Nation, and Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, bringing unique perspectives from across Turtle Island. From the banks of the salmon-filled Tanana and Nenana Rivers in northern Alaska, to the sun-baked Sonoran Desert in the Southwest, each student brings a skillset shaped by land, language, and lived experiences.
We’re also excited by the variety of academic backgrounds represented in this year’s program – from Studio Art and Painting to Nutrition and Food Systems. Across their respective programs, this year’s students all strive to support their communities through their academic pursuits. For example, Avery Tilley (Cherokee Nation) is studying veterinary medicine with the goal of helping Indigenous communities better monitor and mitigate diseases among culturally important species, like wolves, whereas Camille Leihulu Slagle (Kanaka Maoli) hopes to apply her foundation in chemistry to assist Hawaiian communities in monitoring toxic gases released from volcanoes in her homelands. Whether in science, humanities, and/or art-centered programs, each student brings an important skill set that will shape who they are as a storyteller, and we can’t wait to experience their stories!
Over the course of the next 10 months, the ICP Correspondents will be covering topics of their choosing, all while participating in Indigenous-led workshops, peer-review sessions, editorial meetings with ICP’s Story Mentor & Editor, and social gatherings to connect with each other, learn, and grow. We look forward to sharing their stories – stories that celebrate tradition alongside innovation, the work of youth alongside Elders, the teachings of plants and animals alongside insights from scientists, and so much more.
We encourage you to click on their profiles below to read each Correspondent’s biography, and we hope you’ll stay tuned as their stories unfold!
