Udall Foundation Announces 2026 Native American Congressional Interns
Posted:
3/27/2026
The Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) and the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy (NNI), a program of the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona, are pleased to announce the selection of the 2026 Native American Congressional Interns. The newest class of Udall Interns comprises 12 students representing 8 Tribes and 11 universities from around the country. The Udall Interns were selected on the basis of academic achievement, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to careers in Tribal public policy. From 1996 through 2025, 341 students from 142 Tribes have participated in the Internship.
The Udall Foundation’s Native American Congressional Internship Program (Internship), comanaged by NNI, provides Native American and Alaska Native undergraduate, graduate, and law students the opportunity to gain practical experience with the Federal legislative process in order to understand firsthand the government-to-government relationship between Tribes and the Federal Government. Interns serve in Congressional and Federal agency offices and often research issues important to Tribal communities, experience an insider's view of the Federal Government, and enhance their understanding of nation-building and Tribal self-governance. The Udall Interns will complete a comprehensive 10-week internship in Washington, D.C.
The 2026 Udall Interns are:
- Kalila I. Arreola, Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
- Jacob Brittingham, The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, George Washington University.
- Mecca K. Bullchild, Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, Dartmouth College.
- KeAndre J. David, Hopi Tribe of Arizona, Northern Arizona University.
- Emily G. Day, Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, Arizona State University.
- Henry P. Hess, The Chickasaw Nation, University of Washington.
- Jordan J. Johnson, Navajo Nation, California State University-Chico.
- Tewakeedah Martin, Navajo Nation, Diné College.
- Amber J. Means, Hopi Tribe of Arizona, Arizona State University.
- Jada L. Quinn, Navajo Nation, Harvard University.
- Kayl C. Rainer, Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico Highlands University.
- Nicholas O. Redhouse, Navajo Nation, University of New Mexico.
Follow these links to learn more about the Udall Internship Program and meet the 2026 Udall Interns.
More Information
For additional information about NNI and the Udall Internship Program, please contact Alicia Harris at internshipprogram@udall.gov.
About the Udall Foundation
The Morris K. Udall Foundation was established by the U.S. Congress in 1992 as an independent executive branch agency to honor Morris K. Udall's lasting impact on this Nation’s environment, public lands, and natural resources, and his support of the rights and self-governance of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. In 2009, Congress enacted legislation to also honor Stewart L. Udall, Morris K. Udall’s brother, for his more than 50 years of distinguished national leadership in environmental and Native American policy. The agency is known today as the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona.
The Udall Foundation is authorized by Congress to:
- Award Scholarships, Internships, and Fellowships to eligible individuals for study in fields related to the environment and Native American and Alaska Native health care and Tribal public policy.
- Through the Stewart L. Udall Parks in Focus Program, invite youth to participate in education programs and provide training and education programs to professionals who work with youth to (1) increase awareness of the importance of and promote the benefit and enjoyment of the Nation’s natural resources and (2) foster greater recognition and understanding of the role of the environment, public lands, and resources in the development of the United States.
- Provide funding to the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy to conduct policy research and outreach on the environment and related themes.
- Provide funding and other assistance to the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy, a program of the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, for research, education, and training on Native American and Alaska Native health care issues and Tribal public policy issues.
- Provide funding to Special Collections at the University of Arizona Libraries to serve as the repository for the papers of Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall and other such public papers as may be appropriate and assure such papers' availability to the public.
- Provide assessment, mediation, collaboration, training, and other related services on a wide range of environmental, natural resources, Tribal, and public lands issues, conflicts, disputes, and potential disputes involving the Federal Government through the John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution.
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