December 2021 – Undergraduate student
Leighanna Jake – Navajo Nation
Shiprock, NM
Scholarship: Wells Fargo Undergraduate and ANAHSAT
School: Humboldt State University
Degree: Botany
GPA: 3.6

Community Service

• National Honor Society
• Environmental Club
• Keep Riverside Clean & Beautiful
• Feeding the Homeless
• Beach Clean-Ups

Bio

My name is Leighanna Jake, daughter of Luanna Jake and Victor Lee, and granddaughter of the late Yannie Jake. I am an 18-year-old, first-year student at Humboldt State University studying botany. I am now just starting my college journey, however, there is so much greatness I look forward to in the coming years.

Originally from Ramah, I also consider Shiprock, New Mexico to be my home. I graduated from Sherman Indian High School in 2020, and this is my greatest accomplishment so far because I am the only child of my parents to graduated and proceed to college. I am proud to hold the salutatorian title of my class and be recognized for my work throughout those four years.

My time at Sherman involved campus-wide participation that allowed me to be an outstanding applicant for academic opportunities. Sherman plays a key role for me as a student as it offered me academic challenges that exposed me to my full potential. With this, I thank my teachers Ms. Laramie, Mrs. Sims, Mr. Hathaway, and Dr. Shattuck.

I look forward to summer internships, professional networking, and mentorship. With my degree, I wish to protect and heal our ancestral lands through education, science, and culture. My intention for the Navajo Nation is to conserve natural resources and wildlife to make a haven-like atmosphere for our ancestral biodiversity. This is my role as a future environmental conservationist, to make an impact, big or small.