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Spotlight - CCSRE Students

Tahayla Quġluq Baker

Tahayla Quġluq Baker

Tahayla Quġluq Baker, a senior Native American Studies/Psychology double major and coterminal Sociology student at Stanford, centers her Iñupiaq culture in her academic pursuits. After witnessing deep loss in her community, she recommitted herself to working on Indigenous mental health and well-being, specifically by exploring and implementing "culture as treatment" to combat the issue of high suicide rates. Inspired by a growing body of research led by Dr. Joseph P. Gone, Tahayla’s research has revolved around strengthening cultural connections through community-based interventions in order to improve Alaska Native and American Indian (AIAN) mental health outcomes. Building cultural pride and reconnection, her professional goals include tailoring mental health services by using her research in reclaiming personal identity through reclaiming one’s cultural past.

For her capstone project, Reclaiming the Iñupiaq Self: Understanding the Past, Valuing the Present, and Shaping the Future, uncovered stories and lessons not taught today in her community as a result of what she calls “misinternalization” – a process of internalizing negativity about oneself by hearing ancestral stories framed negatively. Urging her fellow Iñupiaq community members to get rid of the taboo surrounding traditional cultural knowledge, Tahayla hopes to encourage cultural pride in her community as a means of driving down crime and suicide rates. She plans to continue her passion post-graduation by becoming a school counselor and environmental advocate, focusing on community mental well-being and land protection.

Beyond her capstone research, Tahayla is also a staunch environmental activist. Her advocacy work on the threats posed by the extractive industry have exposed politicians’ fabrications to the federal government about community consent to mining development. While politicians in favor of extractive endeavors in her region purport full local support, Tahayla revealed that locals have not yet been properly informed nor educated about the risks the project poses to the community, including an increase in murdered and missing Indigenous women (MMIW), changes to migration patterns, water contamination, and an influx of hunters not native to the region. Framing these risks using the now 200-year-old cultural lessons, she also demonstrates the green-washing politicians have done to the issue.

Tahayla is also a dedicated participant in learning and reviving the Iñupiaq language, a testament to her deep commitment to cultural preservation. Her future aspirations and projects highlight a holistic approach to community well-being. She seeks to blend her roles as a future therapist, school counselor, and environmental advocate to protect her community from further harm. This leadership can be seen through her starting Stanford’s first Iñupiaq language class as well as her research and writing, culminating in Midnight Sun.