Top left to bottom right: Priscilla Wolf, Valentin Contreras, Carrie Lynn Johnson, Grace Benally, Lindsay McCoy, Lyric Aquino, McKayla Lee

Seven students have been selected by the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA)ย  to participate in the Native American Journalism Fellowship (NAJF). Each of these students are currently enrolled in colleges and universities across the country.ย 

This 2022 class of fellows will be able to participate in a virtual curriculum while also receiving three hours of college credit through their respective universities. There are five mentors that the students will work closely with throughout the duration of this fellowship. Each of these five mentors represent four different branches of journalism: broadcast, radio, print, and digital media.ย 

Students will get to pitch stories to news outlets and also get the opportunity to participate in the National Native Media Conference where they will be able to meet and network with other Indigenous journalists.ย 

The 2022 NAJF Class

Lyric Aquino (Tewa) – New York University

Grace Benally (Navajo) – Arizona State University

Valentin Contreras (Pala Band of Mission Indians and IIPAY Nation of Santa Ysabel)

California State University

Carrie Lynn Johnson (Chickasaw and Pawnee) – Austin College

McKayla Lee (Navajo) – University of Montana

Lindsay McCoy (Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa) – Michigan State University

Priscilla Wolf (Cree) – University of Regina

Neely Bardwell (descendant of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indian) is a contributing writer for Native News Online covering politics, policy and environmental issues. Bardwell graduated from...