Jordan Sahly has lost track of the number of baking soda volcanoes he made in his driveway as a child. But he hasn’t lost his passion for the sciences, chemistry in particular. After honing his interest in science, Sahly set his sights on chemical engineering and hasn’t looked back. Now a senior at Yale University, Sahly is well on his way to becoming a chemical engineer with the goal of helping Native communities combat energy and climate crises and limit harm to the land.

Michael Charles, a brand-new graduate of Cornell University, has always applied himself. But he hasn’t always been sure of his path in life. After graduating from Longmont Christian High School in Colorado, Charles, Navajo, hadn’t decided on a direction for his studies. “I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do, but realized that I have strong math and science skills,” he explains.