Nikke Alex is Dine. It was awesome to get to speak with another former WINS intern on the podcast, and to see what all of us are doing TEN YEARS LATER! She is currently a third-year law student at the University of New Mexico. She is also a self-described nerd. And when you listen to her story, you understand that it is an awesome/honest assessment!

I was blown away at Nikke’s stories about the projects she undertook on her own as a child. It was cool to see someone who was so self-driven in their studies and interests, even when she was on the road with her rodeo family! That academic skill set led her mother to encourage her to leave home during high school to get the education that could challenge her and help Nikke to continue growing. She attended a school in California that had several unique aspects, including the tending of horses for freshmen. She became comfortable interacting with classmates who came from wealthy families. But at the school, everyone was just another student.

After high school, Nikke Alex was determined to attend the University of Arizona. While basketball was a large driver for this decision (Nikke is a die hard basketball fan), she also wanted to be closer to home and among more Native students. However, she encountered cold shoulders from many Native students who thought she was “too white.” A recent article in the New York Times described this experience that persists for many students of color. Although taken aback with this reaction, she found friends in the international student circles.

After school she was thrust into a leadership role as an Executive Director for a grassroots organization that worked with fellow Navajos. This work was very locally based but stretched to international work, coordinating projects with other organizations as part of the United Nations.

Nikke eventually burned herself out through all the work and decided to travel for some time. She eventually started doing some consulting and also started her own blog to document her travels. Her current adventure is law school. She has been able to study and work several of her interests through the law school, including hosting an upcoming forum on teen dating [link to PDF].

It was a fun conversation and amazing to see what Nikke Alex has accomplished in her short career, and also to see what she will accomplish moving forward.

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