2026 CEP Intern Summer Powell, M.A.
Summer Powell is from Window Rock, AZ, the capital of the Navajo Nation, and a citizen of the Navajo (Diné) Nation. She is a PhD student and a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) in the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Kansas (KU) as the first Native and Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU) alumna in the department. Summer’s research focus is primarily on the Diné people and women, and their ability to gain access to the Colorado River through law and policy.
She previously earned her Masters in Arts (M.A.) in Indigenous Studies, studying the Supreme Court case Arizona v. Navajo Nation (2023) with personal accounts of water access within the Navajo Nation at KU. Summer also earned her Bachelors in Arts (B.A.) in Indigenous and American Indian Studies at HINU in Lawrence, KS.
She would like to create a social media campaign about the Haskell Wetlands. Everything from history to the present, and about the steward that nurtured the place.
In Summer’s time outside of CEP, she enjoys her time (when she has time) relaxing with her sister, Autumn, and watching sappy movies.
Funding for this internship came from RE-AMP and is in partnership with midwestern nonprofits 350 Wisconsin and OurStreets.