Jodi Burshia

Jodi Burshia is Laguna Pueblo and Diné from her mother’s side. Jodi is Hunkpapa Lakota, Assiniboine and Sioux on her father’s side. She earned a doctoral degree with distinction from the University of New Mexico (UNM) in 2021. Jodi earned BA and MA degrees from the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. Her dissertation focused on understanding the experiences of Previously Incarcerated Indigenous Students (PIIS) in Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). Dr. Burshia has been classroom educator since 2000 and serves as Assistant Professor of Indigenous Education in the Department of Teacher Education at New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) where she works with future educators to help them provide inclusive education in their classrooms. Previously, Jodi worked with the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) and the University of New Mexico (UNM) as a classroom educator. She seeks comprehensive and multidisciplinary approaches to educational, linguistic, and social justice disparities. These actions contribute to changing the narrative of Indigenous people. As an educator and an educational activist, she has been able to collaborate with colleagues to bring awareness about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) issue to Native and non-Native communities.
Jodi wants future generations of Indigenous students to envision themselves earning doctorate degrees and to know that it is possible. Earning a doctorate is not passive. Work is involved, yet the work is not impossible. Remember to pray daily and remember that you are not doing this by yourself or only for yourself. You are supposed to be doing this. We are the manifestation of our ancestor’s dreams.