In honor of November’s Native American Indian Heritage Month, we want to celebrate some influential Native Americans and challenge you to a round of trivia. Do you know where they went to college? Go vote on the polls below and check back next week to find out the correct answers.
Deb Haaland
Deb Haaland is a Laguna Pueblo politician who was one of the first two (along with Sharice Davis) Native American women to be elected to congress. Additionally, Haaland was appointed as Secretary of the Interior in 2021. When she was promoted to the role, she became the first Native American and third ever woman to serve as Secretary of the Interior.
Where Did Deb Haaland Go to College?
- New Mexico State University
- Southern Methodist University
- UC San Diego
- University of New Mexico
- University of North Texas
Sterlin Harjo
Sterlin Harjo is a filmmaker from the Seminole and Muscogee Nations of Oklahoma. He is the co-creator (along with Taika Waititi) and showrunner for the award-winning TV series, Reservation Dogs, which is celebrated for an all-indigenous crew of writers, directors, and actors.
Where Did Sterlin Harjo Go to College?
- University of Oklahoma
- Oklahoma State University
- New York University
- UCLA
- University of Central Oklahoma
Nicole Mann
Nicole Mann, Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, is a U.S. Marine Corps Colonel and current NASA astronaut. On October 5, 2022, while aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission, she became the first Indigenous woman in space.
Where Did Nicole Mann Go to College?
- Harvard University
- US Military Academy
- US Naval Academy
- Yale University
- Stanford University
Joy Harjo
Joy Harjo is a Creek and Muscogee writer of award-winning poems, novels, and more. In 2019 she became the first Native American to be appointed as a Poet Laurate of the United States. As Poet Laureate she served three terms, between 2019 and 2022.
Where Did Joy Harjo Go to College?
- New Mexico State University
- Southern Methodist University
- University of Iowa
- University of New Mexico
- Grinnell College
Susan La Flesche Picotte
Susan La Flesche Picotte was an Omaha doctor and social reformer of the late 1900s. She is known for being the first Native American woman to receive a medical degree and become a doctor. Additionally, she was the first person to find funding for her education through federal aid.
Where Did Susan La Flesche Picotte Go to College?
- University of Virginia
- Hampton University
- George Mason University
- University of Richmond
- George Washington University
Sharice Davids
In addition to being one of the first two Native American women to be elected to congress (along with Deb Haaland), Sharice Davids was also the first LGBTQ+ Native American woman elected to congress. She has been serving as the Kansas’s 3rd congressional district representative since 2019.
Where Did Sharice Davids Go to College?
- University of Missouri–Kansas City
- The University of Kansas
- Yale University
- University of Missouri
- Cornell University
John Herrrington
John Herrington is a former US Naval aviator, engineer, and NASA Astronaut. In 2002, Herrington became the first Native American in space when he severed as a mission specialist for the Space Shuttle Endeavor’s STS-113 mission. During his time at the International Space Station, he also performed three space walks, which have been commemorated as artwork on the 2019 one dollar coin.
Where Did John Herrrington Go to College?
- University of Colorado Colorado Springs
- University of Idaho
- Colorado State University
- Colorado College
- US Naval Academy
Chester Nez
Chester Nez was recruited to serve as a Marine in World War II in 1942 and served as a Navajo Code Talker with the Marine Corps’ 382nd Platoon where he helped create the two-layer code system used by the military during the war. Nez cowrote a novel, Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII which detailed his experiences. In 2000, Nez was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his distinguished achievements and contributions to the military and for being a military pioneer during World War II.
Where Did Chester Nez Go to College?
- University of Missouri–Kansas City
- The University of Kansas
- UC Berkeley
- University of Missouri
- Harvard University
Tommy Orange
Tommy Orange is a Cheyenne and Arapaho writer best known for his New York Times best-selling novel There, There , for which he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and winner of several awards including the National Book Award for Fiction in 2019.
Where Did Tommy Orange Go to College?
- Institute of American Indian Arts
- University of Oklahoma
- UC Berkeley
- University of Missouri
- Harvard University
Charitie Ropati
Chartie Ropati is a Yup’ik & Sāmoan education activists and student. While attending her high school in Alaska, Ropati created a Native-centric curriculum to replace the outdated Alaskan Studies class curriculum. Additionally, her activitism helped change a law that now allows Anchorage School District students to wear cultural regalia at graduation. Ropati’s efforts and impact have been highlighted by several organizations and publications over the years including Champions for Change, The Malala Fund, most recently in Teen Vogue, and more.
Where Is Charitie Ropati Going to College?
- Columbia University
- University of Alaska
- UC Berkeley
- New York University
- Harvard University
Annie Dodge Wauneka
Annie Dodge Wauneka was a public health activist and leader who served in several high positions as she worked to improve the health and welfare of the people of the Navajo Nation. She also created the first English-Navajo medical dictionary as a way to increase communication and help from doctors and medical professionals. Wauneka served on the advisory board of the U.S. Surgeon General and the U.S. Public Health Service, and in 1963 she became the first Native American to win the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Where Did Annie Dodge Wauneka Go to College?
- University of Arizona
- The University of Kansas
- UC Berkeley
- University of New Mexico
- Harvard University
The section about Chester Nez then asks where did Susan La Flesche Picotte go to college.
Thanks for the catch, @ucbalumnus! I corrected it now.