Project Assistants
Yiłnazbah Wauneka-Yellowhorse
Yiłnazbah is from Crystal, New Mexico. She is Áshįįhi born for Honágháahnii, her maternal grandfather is Tábąąhí and her paternal grandfather is Kinyaa’áanii. Yiłnazbah is an undergraduate student majoring in Native American Studies with a minor in Navajo at the University of New Mexico. She plans to become a Doctor of Psychology and is excited to continue learning the Navajo language for the paths of both academic and personal growth.
Toby Fowler
Toby Fowler is a PhD student at the University of New Mexico. He is originally from Boulder, Colorado.
Rochelle Herrera
Rochelle is a graduate student in the Linguistics program at the University of New Mexico. She is from Ojo Encino, New Mexico. Her academic interests focus on language revitalization and child language acquisition. She aspires to pursue graduate studies and earn a PhD in Linguistics. Rochelle’s clans are Tł’ááshch’í’í nilį́, Tó dích’íinii yáshichíín, Dził tł’ahnii dabicheii, and Ta’neeszahnii dabinalí.
Gabrielle Jack
Gabrielle Jack is majoring in Biochemistry with a minor in Navajo Language. Gabrielle is from Shiprock, NM, and her clans are Naakaii Dine’é, Hooghanłáni, Táchii’nii, and Tó’aheedliinii.
Lee Ferrin
Lee is a PhD student in Linguistics at the University of New Mexico. She has a BA and MA in Linguistics from Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, which is also her hometown. Her academic interests include child language acquisition, language reclamation and revitalization, language policy, and language education. Her hobbies include living history, needlework, Latin dancing, cooking, and playing the mandolin and piano.
Jalyn Ray
I am from the Pueblo of San Felipe. I am majoring in Criminology. My hobbies are going to different National Parks and hiking with my family! I hope to hike the majority of the National Parks on my bucket list.
Kautchdot Quiver
Kautchdot Quiver is an undergraduate student majoring in Biology and minoring in Population Health. Kautchdot is from Black Rock, but grew up in Albuquerque. Her clans are Kiyaa’áanii, Ta’neezahnii, Táchii’nii, and Tsédaa’kin. Post-graduation, she plans to apply to a vet school to work in veterinary medicine.
Katie (Kat) Apachito
Yá’át’ééh! I am from To’hajiilee, New Mexico. I am Naakai Diné’e, born for Kinyaa’áanii, my maternal grandfather is A:shiwi, and my paternal grandfather is Tábąąhí. I am studying Criminology with minors in Political Science and Navajo language and linguistics. I aspire to go to law school and carry a passion for becoming fluent in Diné Bizaad. I love to play video games and go to punk shows with my friends. I’m also the University of New Mexico’s Navajo language tutor!
Kamyra Gishie
Yá’át’ééh, Kamyra Gishie yinishyé! Born for Bįį biitoodniii, father is Táchii’nii, with shicheii being Tó’áhani, and shinalí hastiin is Tábąąhí. Here at UNM, I’m majoring in Geography with a minor in Navajo Language & Linguistics. Though, I’m hoping to specialize in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) in the future. Besides that, I enjoy traveling and attending concerts.
Maxamillion (Max) Marmon
Max is an undergraduate student at the University of New Mexico.
Juanito Wilson Martin
Yá’át’ééh shike doo shidine’e, my name is Juanito Wilson Martin. I am from Crownpoint, NM, though I currently live at Antelope Lookout Mesa. I am currently an undergraduate student studying construction engineering, and this will be my second year into my degree. I am Diné, and I like to work within and for my community; I want to be able to give back towards them as well as to be able to show and be a light, a beacon, for young Diné people – so that they too can strive towards helping our people and keeping our traditions alive and ongoing.
Former Project Assistants
Kayleigh Russell
Kayleigh Russell was an undergraduate student in the Signed Language Interpreting program with a minor in Navajo at the University of New Mexico. She was grateful for the opportunity to work as a research assistant for the Indigenous Child Research Center and the Lobo Language Acquisition Lab. Her interests were in Indigenous forms of signing, specifically Hand Talk. Kayleigh grew up in Kayenta, AZ and her clans are: Kinłichiinii nilį́, Bisaan éí yáshichíín, Tabąąhá éí dabicheii, Dideschiin éí dabinálí (she is Navajo and Chiricahua Apache).
Taye Johnson
Taye Johnson was an undergraduate student majoring in Management Information Systems at the University of New Mexico. She is born from the Sleeping Rock People and the Bitter Water People. Her maternal grandfather’s clan is Towering House People, and her Paternal grandfather’s clan is the Mexican clan people. Taye is originally from Pinehill, New Mexico. She was grateful for the opportunity to work at the Indigenous Child Research Lab as a research assistant. Her interests included the Navajo Language.
Devin Lansing
Devin Lansing éí Bit’ahnii nilį́igo Bilagáana yáshchiin. Kinłich’íinii da bicheii dóó Bilagáana da binalí. Devin is from Coyote Canyon, NM, but attended the University of New Mexico (UNM) in Albuquerque, NM. He worked at the UNM Navajo Language Program, assisting with curriculum and course development. Devin was also a substitute teacher pursuing a special education degree. Devin was passionate about connecting the younger generation of Diné with the importance of K’é, Saad, Nanitin, and Oodlą’.
Cormac League
Cormac League, originally from the Los Angeles area, received a BA in Linguistics from the University of Southern California and pursued an MA in Linguistics at the University of New Mexico. As a researcher in the Indigenous Child Language Center, Cormac was interested in the prosody of child directed speech in Diné Bizaad and other languages with vowel length distinction and lexical tone.
Seth Wyatt
Seth Wyatt, at the time a final-year Linguistics MA student at the University of New Mexico, was proud to work as a research assistant for the Indigenous Child Language Research Center. Originally from Slidell, Louisiana, Seth earned his BA in linguistics and language applications with first-class honours from City University of Hong Kong. His research interests lied primarily in phonology, variation, and diachrony among tonal languages of the American Southwest and Asia-Pacific regions.
Ryan D. Smith
Ryan D. Smith was a PhD student in Linguistics at the University of New Mexico. His research focused on the cognitive and physiological relationship between gesture and speech. He was also interested in cognitive and language development in children, and conducts research on child gesture development for ICLRC. He was born in Albuquerque and grew up in Los Ranchos.
Alec Goldberg
Alec pursued a MA in linguistics at UNM. His research interests were in the morphosyntax and semantics of the Navajo language. He was honored to work for ICLRC as a research assistant during his studies. As an undergraduate, he earned a BA in linguistics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a BFA summa cum laude in art studio from UNM. He is originally from the Monterey Peninsula area of California.
Sharmaine Chee
Sharmaine Chee was an undergraduate student majoring in Speech and Hearing Science with a minor in Navajo at the University of New Mexico. She is born for the Sleeping Rock People and for the Towering House People. Her maternal grandfather’s clans are Meadow People, and her paternal grandfathers are Red Running into the Water People. She is originally from Pine Hill, New Mexico. She was overjoyed to work at the Indigenous Child Research Lab as a research assistant. She was interested in phonology and morphology in the Navajo language.
Bethany Lycan
Bethany Lycan was a PhD student in the Department of Linguistics at UNM. She is originally from Southern California and went to California State University Long Beach for her MA in Linguistics. Her interests were in morphosyntax, typology, and language revitalization.
Kaori John
Kaori is from Las Vegas, Nevada and was an undergraduate student majoring in Nursing and minoring in Navajo Language and Linguistics. Her clans are Bit’ahnii nilį́, Towołnii yáshichíín, Áshįįhí dabicheii, Tł’ááshchí’í dabinalí. Her future goal was to work as a nurse in a predominantly Navajo speaking community. She was grateful to work with the ICLRC as a research assistant!
Melanie Kirk-Lente
Melanie is from the Pueblo of Isleta and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from the University of New Mexico, where she also pursued her Master’s degree. She was proud to serve as a research assistant for the ICLRC. Melanie was committed to applying the knowledge, skills, and experience she gained under the guidance of Dr. Chee and her exceptional team to support her community in language preservation and revitalization.
Yazzmine Lee
La Ban Matthew Hendricks
Yá’át’ééh! La Ban (Luh-bon) was born in Albuquerque, raised in Los Angeles County, and her gram is from ToHajiilee. Her majors were Native American Studies and Signed Language Interpreting, with a Navajo minor. ASL and Navajo Language interested La Ban as she wanted to pass down Navajo and expand her knowledge through ASL. When she graduated, La Ban wanted to utilize her NAS knowledge for storytelling through illustration or writing in hopes of gaining a Masters at the Institute of American Indian Arts. Additionally, during that time, she wanted to work in school settings as an ASL interpreter in order to get a Masters in Deaf Education further down the line.
