Aaron Yazzie shares many of the questions a lot of us have about the planet Mars. “Mars was once similar to Earth,” he says. “It once had water and was warmer as an early planet. It developed over billions of years in similar ways to Earth, but the question is, why did Earth develop life and Mars didn’t? Or maybe it did?”

In some of Dr. Crystal Tulley-Cordova’s earliest memories, water is a prominent feature. She vividly recalls the silver basin — which looked to her like an oversized teapot — that her grandmother used to heat bathwater on the stove. It’s a pleasant memory, but one also laced with recollections of what a struggle it was to obtain clean water for bathing and drinking. “I have memories of how my family traveled over dirt roads to get water for our daily needs,” she says. 

Mariah Gladstone has found a recipe for success in her online cooking show Indigikitchen. Its name blends the words “Indigenous,” “digital,” and “kitchen,” and her weekly recipes, tips, and social media videos aim to reIndigenize the diets of Native Americans while tempting all viewers to opt for healthier diets. Her Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube posts have won her thousands of followers and interest from book agents and publishers.

Completing one bachelor’s degree is impressive, but Joseph Lance Casila completed three in four and a half years while at the University of Guam — a BS each in math, chemistry, and biology. Casila is resourceful. He left high school wanting to pursue his interest in engineering, but the University of Guam didn’t have a full engineering program. So he created a course of study to meet his needs. “My initial plan was to major in math and chemistry at the University of Guam and use those courses to fulfill some requirements in an online engineering program I was looking into,” he says.

Growing up, Leah Creaser spent much of her time with her friend Taylor adventuring behind their older brothers. Those excursions typically involved heading out on four-wheelers to some water and dropping a line to see if they could catch anything. While she didn’t always come home with dinner, Creaser did catch a love for fish. She is currently completing a bachelor’s degree in biology with a focus on fish science at Acadia University in Nova Scotia.

The college application process can seem daunting. Add in the complications that come from applying during a global pandemic, and many students may be ready to throw in the towel before they've even begun. Here are a few tips for a successful college application process.

Have you ever looked at the clock and wondered where the time went? You might hope the time flew by because you were diligently focused on work, but we’re all guilty of wasting time every now and again. If you’re finding that time is marching on, but you haven’t made much progress on your to-do list, check out these tips to help master time management — and finally finish that checklist.

In the early days of the pandemic, in-person contact suddenly became risky, but human interactions for business, education, medical, and social reasons remained as important as ever. That fact explains why now, more than a year later, we all have more experience than most of us would like with platforms like Zoom. 

Companies included in the Winds of Change list of the Top 50 Workplaces for Indigenous STEM Professionals meet certain criteria established solely by Winds of Change editorial staff. Selected companies completed surveys designed to demonstrate their overall diversity recruitment efforts and/or were included in at least one published list from two different sources that recognize top firms dedicated to diversity recruiting within the past year.

As COVID slowly recedes, it’s increasingly clear that health care in Indian Country has been severely stressed. The system had a unique set of challenges before — and during — the crisis, which in many communities has highlighted persistent inequalities resulting from insufficient funding and resources.