During the free summit, participants will:

• Find encouragement and support with tools and resources for Native student success and leadership development.

•  an increased awareness of ways to identify, articulate and work toward actionable goals for personal and communal success in culturally rooted ways.

• Make meaningful connections and gain a deeper sense of community with other Native student leaders in Western Washington.

The summit for American Indian and Alaska Native students is the result of a partnership between Highline Public Schools and Highline College.

Participating as presenters and organizers are Native educators, professionals and community leaders from the school districts of Auburn, Federal Way, Fife, Highline, Kent, Puyallup School District, Green River College, Highline College, University of Washington and the Muckleshoot Tribe. 

Warren King George is an enrolled member of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe through his late father’s bloodline (Gilbert) and a descendent of the Upper Skagit Tribe through his late mother, (Tina). He is employed with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe - Preservation Program as the Tribal Historian. Warren has worked for the Tribe for the past 32 years and his work includes collecting and recording oral history from Tribal and Community Members. Oral history projects can range from hunting, fishing and clamming stories on the Puget Sound to berry picking trips in the Cascade Mountains. He works with a variety of Government agencies to ensure Treaty Right access and to create management plans to maintain and enhance our valuable cultural resources. Additionally, he works with museums, colleges and public schools to provide lectures on the rich history, traditions and culture of what is known today as the Muckleshoot People. Warren a member of the Burke Museum -Native American Advisory Board, History Link Board of Director’s member and Museum of History and Industry Collections (advisor). 

Elise Bill-Gerrish is a Muckleshoot Tribal Member and Muckleshoot Language Caretaker. She earned her Masters in Education from the University of Washington Tacoma where she focused on best practices for Native and Indigenous students. Elise is a committed advocate for healing Native pathways, traditional plant medicine & food systems, Southern Lushootseed revitalization, and Native education. She is currently a professor of American Indian Studies at South Seattle College and professor at Green River College, and is the 2025 Indigenous Storytelling Artist in Residence with Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services. Most importantly, she is a mother to her daughter, Lily, who is often by her side in all that she does. 

Bawaajigekwe Boulley, turtle clan from the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, taught for 13 years in public, charter, tribal, and language immersion schools in Wisconsin. A 2020 WI Teacher of the Year, she moved to Washington in 2021 and now serves in the Office of Native Education at OSPI with the Native Student Success Program.

My name is Muttellokee Eros Beaver  of the Muskogee Nation. I'm a youth native leader,I'm a part of nayla,nsss, nd the president of nasu I have talk to the b.I.A (buro of Indian affairs) and many more thing. I love to cook,do art work,and  skateboard.  

My name is Natalie MC Anderson , I am a enrolled Tlingit& Haida member with roots from Southeast Alaska and the Blackfeet nation in Montana. I also have from roots from Scandinavia. I am from Seattle Washington and a senior enrolled at KWHS this year taking full time college classes at Green River College. I am a LSU officer at GRC and a student intern with the institute for community leader ship and the MLKFC. I enjoy journaling , singing and dancing and roller skating.   

Elizah Dominy, whose Lingit name is Kootxheech, is a Chookaneidi woman with deep ancestral roots in Southeast Alaska, Montana, and South Dakota. Her family's origins root back to the villages of Hoonah and Angoon. Born and raised in the urban landscape of Seattle, Washington, Elizah carried within her a strong connection to her ancestral homelands, a connection that would eventually lead her on a journey of self-discovery and cultural reclamation. In 2019, driven by a profound desire to reconnect with her Lingit heritage, she decided to relocate to Juneau, Alaska. There, she enrolled at the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS), embarking on a path of academic and cultural immersion. This endeavor was more than just an educational pursuit; it was a homecoming, a return to the language and traditions passed down through generations. Last spring, Elizah graduated with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree, with a major in Alaska Native Studies and Languages. Her dedication to learning and preserving her Lingit language and culture reflects her commitment to honoring her ancestors and ensuring the continuity of her heritage. Beyond her academic achievements, Elizah balances her cultural and political commitments with her role as a dedicated mother to her two daughters. Her involvement in tribal governance began in 2019 with her election as the Tlingit & Haida WA Chapter Youth Ambassador. In 2021, she was selected to serve on the inaugural cohort of the Tlingit & Haida Youth Commission, and in 2023, she was reappointed, this time serving as 1st Vice President. Last year, in April 2024, she was elected as a Delegate for the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, representing the Seattle Community. Her active participation in these roles signifies her dedication to advocating for her community and shaping the future of her people. 

Ashley is Unangax̂, Black and Filipina. Ashley grew up in Bellingham Washington with her grandparents and was involved in her local Unangax̂/Aleut community through a Unangan dance group, Sngagim Axasniikangin (Dream Dancers). As a first generation college student and Gates Millennium Scholar she attended Western Washington University and earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Human Services. In 2015, she earned her Masters in Social Work from University of Washington with a concentration in Community-centered Integrative Practice and in 2020, she earned her Masters in Urban Environmental Education. Ashley currently works as Program Manager at The Common Acre. 

Talia (Unangax̂) grew up as a guest of the Lummi Nation in northern Washington State. Her grandmother, Katherine Ermalof, is from the Village of Nikolski, on the Aleutian Islands in present-day Alaska. Her family is one of many Unangax̂ tribal members in the diaspora in the Pacific Northwest forced to relocate as a result of displacement efforts by the US government during World War II and the enduring impacts of capitalism and climate change on coastal communities. 

Talia began her higher education journey at Northwest Indian College, the Tribal College of the Pacific Northwest. Through its preeminent Indigenous Service Learning program, she experienced the power of place-based education that honors assets from places and people including Native foods. Talia’s passion for place-based education is woven throughout her in-depth educational journey, where she cultivated global perspectives on Indigenous knowledge and pedagogical approaches to experiential education for Indigenous youth. 

Talia’s expertise in place-based education, is cultivated with 15+ years of experience working with many diverse communities of color. She specializes in integrative curriculum design and implementation. Talia has worked alongside multiple community organizing groups for most of her young adult and adult life. Most recently in the last 3 years, she has worked with young people in multiple settings throughout Seattle including the Renton Native American Education Program teaching young people about herbs and Native plants, and supporting restorative justice efforts at elementary schools in Rainier Beach and Othello. Talia is passionate about interweaving food justice throughout her personal and professional life growing culturally relevant foods, herbs and Native plants. Additionally, Talia has actively worked alongside other BIPOC organizers to support mutual aid and food sovereignty efforts in King County such as King County Covid Mutual aid, supporting the disbursement of funds to BIPOC families most impacted by the pandemic.

Talia is based in South Seattle as a guest on Coast Salish territory. She is proud to represent and build community among diasporic Unangax̂, as well as the vibrant, diverse communities in the region. 

Jill La Pointe is an enrolled member of the Nooksack Tribe and Upper Skagit descendant. Jill attended the University of Washington as a single mother of two and graduated with a master’s degree in social work.  She later met her husband, John, and together they raised their 5 children on the Swinomish reservation. Currently they reside in Tacoma and enjoy spending time with their grandchildren and extended family. Jill has worked in social services with Native youth and families for more than 30 years in both rural and urban communities. She also taught at the University of Washington, School of Social Work, where she received an award for Outstanding Practicum Instructor. In 2006, when her grandmother retired as Director of Lushootseed Research (LR), a nonprofit she founded in 1983, dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Lushootseed language and culture, Jill humbly agreed to carry on the work. Under Jill’s leadership, LR has successfully hosted an annual Lushootseed language conference since 2010, and recently completed a film on the Healing Heart of Lushootseed, about her grandmother’s dream to bring healing to the world through music. Jill celebrates a life in recovery and remains dedicated to serving others who seek healing and support in their journey. She draws strength and healing from her work with Lushootseed Research and envisions a day when all people who visit or live in Seattle and the surrounding area will be able to see and hear the beautiful Lushootseed language and learn and grow from the traditional culture and values of the first people of this land. 

Layla Yamabe is an enrolled Quinault Tribal Member and Quileute/Squaxin descendant.

As the Traditional Medicine Program Director for Seattle Indian Health Board, Layla oversees the Traditional Medicine Department, providing Traditional Medicine services and programming to Relatives from over 250 Tribal Nations.

Layla is a graduate of Northwest Indian College with her Bachelor of Science Degree in Native Environmental Science and has spent years learning about plant medicine and coastal traditions/ceremonies.

Layla loves attending cultural gatherings like canoe journey, coastal jams, and coastal ceremonies. Layla spends her free time harvesting, weaving, clam digging, and exploring the woods, hills, and Salish Sea.

I was born and raised in Spokane , I am the granddaughter of a Spokane Tribal member. I attended Spokane Falls Community College where I received my AA, I transferred and graduated from Gonzaga University with a BA in Communications and a Minor in Political Science. I interned at the Washington State Legislature, as well as the Washington State Labor Council; I’ve worked for elected government officials, local non-profits, as well as Seattle based campaigns. Currently I am the Admissions Counselor for Native students at the University of Washington in the office of Multicultural Outreach and Recruitment (MOR). Beyond the work I do, I prioritize my connections to land, loved ones, and interior Salish history. 

Armando T. Ortíz grew up in White Center and graduated from Big Picture high school. He went on to play two years of collegiate football at his alma mater Central Washington University where he majored in Sociology with a minor in Ethnic Studies. During his time at CWU Armando worked as a program coordinator in the diversity center while in collaboration with his two mentors Dr. Keither Champagne & Dr. Raymond Hall, with the development of a male success initiative to support Black and Brown men, persist through and graduate from CWU while also serving as the universities first Native American Student Government President. Upon graduating Armando went to attain his Masters in Education from Loyola University Chicago in Cultural & Educational Policy Studies.

Since graduating from Loyola Armando has moved back to White Center where he has worked for a number of nonprofit city and school-based organizations which has led him to further his determination to serve the community that raised him. Currently he is working as a School Design Coach with the Big Picture Learning Native American Initiative providing schools with the knowledge and insight on how to best serve Native American and Indigenous students while serving as a Promise Scholar Specialist at Mount Rainier HS in Highline Public Schools where he supports 150 Black and Brown young men at Mount Rainier.