Alaina K. Bryant, Environmental Specialist
Ya'at'ééh, shí éí Alaina Bryant yinishyé. Naashashí nishlíigo, Tódích'íi'nii báshíshchíín, Kinyaa'ánii dashicheigo, Dziłtł'ahnii dashinálí. Ákót'éego Diné asdzání nishlí.
(Hello, friends and family! I am Alaina Bryant. I am part of the Bear clan and born for the Bitter Water people. The Towering House people are my maternal grandfathers, and the Mountain Cove people are my paternal grandfathers)
I am a member of the Navajo Nation (Diné) who was born and raised in the Indianapolis area, and so I call both Indiana and the Four Corners region my home. When I was young, my family used to travel across the U.S. quite a bit, and along the way I got to witness vast, diverse natural areas and visited many National Parks. I also used to spend my summers camping and hiking around the Chuska Mountains in New Mexico when visiting family, and this is where I developed my love and appreciation for the outdoors. Growing up, I also learned many valuable cultural lessons from my grandmother who taught me about stewardship and how we should take care of our Earth and each other. Those lessons stuck with me and later motivated me to pursue a career in the environmental sciences. I received my B.S. in Sustainability Management and Public Affairs from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (now IU Indianapolis) in 2021 and my M.S. in Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences and Ecological Sciences and Engineering from Purdue University this past December.
In my free time, I like to follow auto racing (IndyCar, Formula 1, and NASCAR) and do my best to make it to a few races as well as the Indianapolis 500 every year. I was born a Colts fan and follow other local Indiana sports like the Pacers, IU Football, and Purdue Basketball, but racing is where my true passion has always been. Other hobbies I enjoy are hiking, kayaking, creative writing, reading, painting, antiquing, thrifting, and collecting retro video games and technology.
Coincidently, when I was in elementary school, I was "hired" as an environmental specialist for a role-playing class assignment. Who would have thought that over a decade later that this would be my real job? I am very excited to stay in the Midwest and work for the 1854 Treaty Authority, and I look forward to growing and learning in my new role!
Ahéhee'
(Thank you)