Boozhoo! UNITY’s Earth Ambassador Shares Her Experience at AISES 2025

Boozhoo, my name is Marla Mesarina and I am a sophomore at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. I attended the 2025 AISES Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. My experience during this conference was both exhilarating and fulfilling. I attended this conference with my AISES chapter at my University! I am not officially affiliated with the AISES chapter, as I am undecided of my major, but they welcomed me in to be a part of their group to attend the conference. I got to network with other natives in stem which was so awesome as I got to learn about their motives in life, as well as what steered them in the direction that they are going towards. It was very inspiring to see all these indigenous scholars pursuing such subjects, as science was never easy for me, but being surrounded by natives in stem gave me more confidence within myself. While at AISES, I also got to help assist with another organization that I am affiliated with which is the United National Indian Tribal Youth Organization (UNITY). I helped watch the booth and pitch UNITY to tribal leaders as well as community members. I love UNITY, so talking about the organization in a good way is easy for me. With my experience with UNITY, I got to reunite with a lot of friends during AISES. I visited with one of my very first friends I made at my first UNITY conference which was so awesome, as well as visiting other UNITY leaders. I also volunteered during the AISES conference working the registration booth. I enjoyed it as I got to meet people as I was registering them. During my volunteering session, I also took the opportunity to ask the AISES employees questions regarding their own career and how they came upon AISES. I love meeting new people and making connections, so volunteering was very fun. I am very grateful I was able to give back to this amazing organization in some way