Kestrel A. Smith, PhD, is the department chair of the American Indian Indigenous Studies (AIIS) program at Wenatchee Valley College at Omak, the first full AIIS program at a community college in Washington State. Much of her work has focused on how to place Indigenous epistemologies and education within broader historical and cultural contexts in order to better understand the contemporary Indigenous experience. In 2014 she completed her MA in American Indian Studies (AIS) at University of Arizona with a thesis examining the social impacts of tribal colleges and universities. In 2018 she received her PhD in AIS with a minor in higher education from University of Arizona, completing her doctoral dissertation on American Indian student access to college-preparatory resources.
The University of Arizona Press
