I grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota around traditional ceremonies, learning spirituality from my elders and science from my mother. My parents and grandparents prioritized the Lakota way of life and I always wanted to be like them. They are visionaries, and I’m thankful I was raised to see how innovative, grounded, and hopeful Lakota people are. My Ina (mother) was a single mother who raised my siblings and me while attending school and working full time before she met my Ate’ (stepdad) when I was two years old.