Kara Roanhorse, MA

Kara Roanhorse, MA


Tribal Affiliation: Diné

Title: Program Specialist

Pronouns: She, They, Them

Bio: 

Kara Roanhorse is Diné and was raised and currently resides in Tó'hajiilee, NM however, their extended families are from Chichiłtah and Crystal, NM. Kara is a Program Specialist for CHERP at the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board, Inc. Previously, they were the Program Assistant, Academic Facilitator, Tutor, and Summer Youth Counselor for the Proud Indigenous Youth Leaders program as a part of the Office of Minority Health American Indian/Alaska Native Health Equity Initiative.

As a young professional, Kara has been certified in CPR/First Aid/AED, Youth Mental Health First Aid, and QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Suicide Prevention Training, among the many positive youth development, prevention, and capacity building and trainings she has been a part of with local tribal communities. She has also assisted in the efforts to build the Trauma Resilient Schools Peer Learning Network with tribal school partners. Most notably, Kara has participated in the Institute of Cultural Affairs’ Mastery of Technology of Facilitation (MToP) and was certified as a facilitator in February 2020. She continues to offer her facilitation skills and cultivating her passions for developing youth-centered education, trainings, and programs in the local Albuquerque area.

Kara graduated with their B.A. from Brown University with honors in Ethnic Studies in 2018, focusing on Indigenous studies and public policy. They are currently in graduate school as a fourth-year Ph.D. student and instructor in the Department of American Studies at the University of New Mexico and received their M.A. in May 2022. They teach the courses: Introduction to Southwest Studies, Indigenous Film, and Indigenous Feminisms. Academically, Kara is currently working on multiple projects focused on Native youth, Feminist media critique, and Native liberation movements. Their future dissertation project is interested in the intersections of Indigenous feminist care work, Critical Diné studies, and on the ground accounts of youth movement building. They hope to continue their work in academia while being attentive to developing future youth programs and services with direct advisement from Native youth while at AAIHB.

Certifications:

  • QPR Suicide Prevention Training
  • Youth Mental Health First Aid

Other Training Topics & Skills:

  • Gender & Sexuality Sensitivity
  • Information Privacy and Security Awareness
  • Mastery of Technology of Participation (MToP) Facilitation Methods
  • Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination
  • Social Marketing & Media