About the Panelists
Becca Gercken is a Morse Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor of English and Native American and Indigenous Studies at the University of Minnesota Morris. She is the co-editor of Gambling on Authenticity: Gaming, the Noble Savage, and the Not-So-New Indian (Michigan State University Press 2017). Her most recent work, “Of Canons and Cabinets: Indigenous Bodies, Epistemological Spectacle, and an Unusual Indian in the Cupboard,” appeared in The Oxford Handbook of Twentieth-Century American Literature (2022). She is currently at work on a monograph about historical and contemporary American Indian ledger narratives.
Clement Loo is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and the Student Success Coordinator for Equity, Diversity, and Intercultural Programs at the University of Minnesota Morris. He also serves on the Faculty Leadership Council of the Institute on the Environment and the board of the Southwest Regional Sustainability Development Partnerships at the University of Minnesota. His scholarship and teaching focuses on food justice and the integration of equity and sustainability. In his free time Clement enjoys playing disc golf, hiking, and exploring the small rural towns in the Upper Midwest.
Gavin Zempel: Hau mitakuyapi. Čante wašte nape čhiyuzapi do. Gavin emakiyapi do. Mis damakota do. Bdewakantunwan ga Sissetunwan ga wahpetunwan hemoča do. Čansayapi ematihaŋ. Hello my relatives, I shake your hands with a good heart! My name is Gavin Zempel! I am a Bdewakantunwan and Sissetunwan/Wahpetunwan Dakota. I am from the Lower Sioux Indian Community in southwestern Minnesota. I am a Psychology and NAIS major with a minor in English. I am also a proud alumni of Haskell Indian Nations University, having earned my Associates of Arts in Communication Studies there before transferring to the University of Minnesota Morris.
Isabel Huot-Link, of European settler descent born and raised on unceded Dakota land in Minnesota, is a community educator and water protector pursuing a Master of Human Rights degree at the University of Minnesota. Her current research focuses on how Indigenous pedagogies can transform land grant institutions, augmented by her work as a Humanities Futures Labs Graduate Fellow and Graduate Research Assistant with the Mellon Environmental Stewardship, Place, and Community Initiative.
Mia Sam: Aaniin! My name is Mia Sam. I am currently an indigenous sophomore attending the University of Minnesota Morris. My major is Native American and Indigenous Studies, abbreviated as NAIS. I am working towards a Bachelor of Arts, but I’m also considering graduate school and looking into it as I complete my four years. I grew up in the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe reservation, and I hope to represent my community here at the workshop. My identity as an indigenous woman and the tribe I’m in have inspired me to learn more about Native studies, and to connect with indigenous ways of knowing, which all brought me to the University of Minnesota Morris and to this workshop. Miigwech for listening!
Neo Bhavsar hails from Minnesota where he was introduced to Native American literature in high school. From there, an internship with the Indian Land and Tenure Foundation (ILTF) propelled his interest. This interest took shape in college as he majored in Native American and Indigenous Studies as well as Public Policy. He hopes to continue investigating and problem solving issues surrounding Indian Country as a lawyer.
Racquel Banaszak (Bad River and Bois Forte Ojibwe) is a visual artist and public historian. Her work often focuses on Indigenous histories, law and policies, and representation. She is currently pursuing her Master of Heritage Studies and Public History at the University of Minnesota. She earned her graduate certificate in Native American Studies from Montana State University (2018) and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (2012). She also studied Indigenous Visual Culture at the Ontario College of Art & Design University in Toronto, Canada.
Tyler C. Seidel is Hunkpapa Lakota (Standing Rock) and a first-generation student with a bachelor of science degree in biology, specializing in conservation and biodiversity. He is currently in the Ecology, Evolution and Behavior PhD program at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities where his dissertation research is focused on how aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are connected through food webs in urban environments. His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, has urged him to learn from the Institute for Advanced Study, and has inspired him to build meaningful connections with local and international community advocates.
