Carolyn Terese Rodriguez (sher/her)

Carolyn Rodriguez (she/her) is a member of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. She received her Master’s in American Indian Studies from UCLA in 2021. Carolyn is a PhD candidate at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, Social Research Methodology program. She examines tribal-university relationships that honor educational tribal sovereignty and cultural revitalization. Her dissertation centers on the collaboration between the Amah Mutsun Land Trust (AMLT) and the Center for Diverse Leadership in Science (CDLS). She examines how AMLT and CDLS support Tribal efforts in revitalizing Indigenous teaching methods at the yearly AMLT Youth Summer Camp to teach Tribal youth about Indigenous land and water stewardship. Her research highlights the importance of storytelling, Indigenous science, and upholding indigenous knowledge systems. Carolyn wishes to support Amah Mutsun youth’s academic success and interest in science and environmental justice to protect the land, water, sacred sites, and all more-than-human relatives.