Tohono O’odham Community College Grad Explores Indigenous Nation Building During NNI Internship
Monique Gonzales spent six weeks with NNI as part of the 'A Student's Journey' professional development program.
For Monique Gonzales, learning about Indigenous governance is personal. A citizen of the Tohono O’odham Nation and descendant of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Gonzales spent six weeks with the Native Nations Institute (NNI) as part of the “A Student’s Journey” (ASJ) program, a year-long experiential internship managed in partnership between Tohono O’odham Community College (TOCC) and the University of Arizona’s Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center with grant funding from the University of Arizona’s Agnes Nelms Haury Program.
In her summer stint with NNI, Gonzales says she gained valuable firsthand experience supporting Native Nation Building. “Prior to coming to NNI, I really didn't know much about nation building,” says Gonzales, “but, within my six weeks at the Native Nations Institute, I have learned a lot.”
A Student’s Journey began in 2020 to provide Native students with opportunities to explore academic and professional pathways while connecting classroom learning with real-world, hands-on experience. The program has since expanded to include San Carlos Apache College on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation and Sitting Bull College on the lands of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in what is known today as North Dakota.
During her internship with NNI, Gonzales worked directly with NNI Indigenous Governance and Direct Services Outreach Specialist Kevin Fortuin helping to plan and prepare for the 2026 Remaking Tribal Constitutions (RTC) Seminar. She also attended RTC, where she engaged with Tribal leaders and community members in learning sessions and hands-on activities related to constitution making and remaking. Over the course of her time with the Native Nation’s Institute, Gonzales also took responsibility for updating NNI’s Tribal Leaders Directory.
Gonzales’ final project for ASJ, “What Does Nation Building Look Like in Chukut Kuk District?” focuses on her home district within the Tohono O’odham Nation and explores what Indigenous governance and community development look like from a local perspective.
Through her research, Gonzales says she was able to determine that the Tohono O’odham Tribe’s Chukut Kuk District does indeed abide by the five principles of Native Nation Building defined by former Harvard researchers and NNI co-founders Joe Kalt and Stephen Cornell (Practical Self-Rule, Capable Governing Institutions, Cultural Match, Strategic Orientation, and Public-Spirited Leadership). “The district does have a strategic plan in place with the emphasis of supporting our youth, elders, economic development, education, and addressing housing issues,” she said.
At RTC, Gonzales also had the opportunity to connect with Pascua Yaqui Tribal Constitution Committee members, further strengthening her understanding of the importance of community-driven governance and constitutional development.
Now that her time with NNI has come to a close, Gonzales will continue her studies at Northern Arizona University, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Indian Country Criminal Justice. She says hopes to use her education to become an attorney or community advocate so she can ultimately work alongside Native communities to support justice, sovereignty, and self-determination.
“I see myself working in improving equality, inclusion, and involvement within my community, and Nation,” Gonzales says, “and then implementing laws and codes that would be able to address those issues.”
Through experiences like ASJ, students like Gonzales are building connections between education, community, and Indigenous governance. Thus, the relatively nascent program is playing an important role in strengthening the next generation of leaders committed to serving Native Nations.