Kestrel Smith

Dr. Kestrel A. Smith is an instructor of American Indian Studies (AIS), whose teaching and research broadly explore American Indian culture, history, and contemporary issues, with an emphasis on American Indian education and epistemologies. Much of her work has focused on how to place Native education within broader historical and cultural contexts in order to better understand the contemporary Native experience. In 2014 she completed her M.A. in AIS at the University of Arizona with a thesis examining the social impacts of Tribal Colleges and Universities. In 2018 she received her Ph.D. in AIS, with a minor in Higher Education, from the University of Arizona, completing her doctoral dissertation on Native student access to college-preparatory resources. She is a member of the American Indigenous Research Association and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association.