Veronica Krupnick, New Mexico House of Representatives Veronica Krupnick is a Child Welfare Youth and Tribal Advocate within the state, national, and international child welfare community. She is proudly from the State of New Mexico and is a Hopi tribal member with Jemez Pueblo and Diné lineage. Drawing on her personal experience navigating the child welfare system and her extensive professional background in the field, Veronica passionately advocates for preventative services, lived experience led policy, and for the holistic well-being of children, families, and their communities. Veronica currently serves as the Legislative Director to the House Majority Whip, Representative Dayan Hochman-Vigil, in the New Mexico House of Representatives. Veronica has been instrumental in developing, implementing, and safeguarding lived experience-centered resources, policy, legislation, and trainings throughout the nation, while also providing direct peer support and mentorship to young people of diverse backgrounds. Veronica is the recipient of the 2024 Casey Excellence for Children Alumni Award, a national honor in recognition of her work to strengthen protection of tribal children and families, the Federal Indian Child Welfare Act, and to safely reduce the need for foster care countrywide. She is also the recipient of the 2024 New Mexico Children’s Law Institute’s Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Hope in Action Excellence Award, for her advocacy in her home state. Veronica’s current community roles include serving as the Vice President of the Board of Directors at CASA First and as a member of the New Mexico Partners – a collaborative tribal-led organization centered on the first Indian Child Welfare Court and the Indian Family Protect Act in New Mexico. Veronica aspires to be a role model, a supportive mentor, and a fiercely dedicated voice for those directly impacted by the child welfare system.
Denver Indian Health and Family Services Mobile Clinic Visits Fort Lewis College FLC and DIHFS officials hope this visit will be the first in a series of regular, quarterly stops.
FLC Summer Institute Sparks Lifelong Passion for Native Language Revival This year, 20 FLC students participated in All Our Kin Collective Summer Institute, a two-week program promoting excitement and love for Native Languages. Guided by instructors and tribal elders, students used songs, animated videos, and cultural activities to learn (and teach) Diné, Ute, and Lakota.
New grants strengthen Indigenous students' success, access at Fort Lewis College A $3.75 million Title III grant and two philanthropic grants, totaling $113,000, will support Indigenous student success, increase access to school materials, and launch a Native American College Day at Fort Lewis College.
Inaugural Tribal Water Media fellows explore connections between water, Native communities Participants of the inaugural Tribal Water Media Fellowship recently presented their projects exploring the many connections of Indigenous cultures with water.