“Fun.” That’s the word Dr. Caleb Hickman uses to describe his job. As a supervisory biologist for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, he oversees nearly 37 projects in the Qualla Boundary, a 57,000-acre forested region of western North Carolina that is within the tribe’s ancient home. 

Amaiya Bearpaw has always loved the outdoors. Preserving and improving the land that her family and community are part of has been a force in her life. Now, as she gets ready for her senior year in geography and sustainability studies at Northeastern State University, Bearpaw is even closer to her goal of making a difference in her community — and to the land that her community calls home.