Our Emerging Leader Award is granted to applicants who demonstrate a deep commitment to addressing gender and sexual violence against Indigenous people, who are utilizing their studies to lead ongoing efforts to raise awareness, support survivors, or prevent future violence. Each Emerging Leader Award recipient is given a $500 honorarium.
Isabel
Vazquez
Isabel Vazquez (aka Nashne) is a Ivuillyuat (Cahuilla)/Italian musical artist and educator. She was raised in upstate New York, and is currently based nomadically between the United States and Europe. Her work as a singer/teacher is motivated by her lived experiences of survival and healing, as well as the experiences of the MMIW in her family. Her music combines traditional techniques of percussion and singing with rock and electronic influences. She is currently completing her Bachelors at Brown University, recording an album, and working on creating an online curricular resource for educators who want to facilitate critical and trauma-informed conversations about colonial violence in high school classrooms.