Current Graduate Students of the NAS Master of Arts Program
Benét Conlin
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Fall 2026
From: Cedar Falls/Waterloo, IA
Education: BA in Anthropology and Sociology with a minor in Writing from Drake University
Research Interests: I'm very interested in people's life stories and dispelling myths.
I had worked with Iowa Community Action Association as a Americorps VISTA sharing
client's stories of how Community Action programs helped them. This was important
to me as I come from a limited-income household that had utilized some of these programs.
I wanted to share the truth of limited-income households. Now I'd like to dispel the
myths surrounding Native American/American Indian peoples.
Sinai (China) Soriano
From: ancestral home of the Chumash, Awha'y (Ojai)
Tribal Affiliation: Chichimec and Tlahuica
Education: Bachelors in Ethnic Studies and Political Science from California State University Channel Islands, Spring 2022 graduate.
Research: radically fueled by ancestors and community, she pursues higher education with research interests relating to the significant impact Indigenous ancestral traditions, knowledge, and ceremony contribute to survival and resilience of Native people.
Lisa Wright Lamkins
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Fall 2026
From: Bozeman, MT
Education:
Bachelor of Science in International Business, minor in Western European Studies with
French, Spanish, and Portuguese languages, from the University of Minnesota - Twin
Cities.
Research Interests:
Indigenous entrepreneurship, non-profit organizations, and economic development within
Montana’s Native American communities.