After a difficult season for her family, Liliana Mars stepped back into community with courage, care, and honesty. Her April was filled with powwows, Earth Day planning, regional youth outreach, and the joy of welcoming her baby sister home from the hospital. As a Northeast Executive Committee member, Liliana showed that Native youth leadership is not about pretending everything is easy. It is about healing, showing up when you can, and letting culture, family, and youth community bring you back to center.
Liliana attended the UConn Spring Powwow, where she helped her eldest cousin and his partner with their head man and head woman duties. The 2026 UConn Spring Powwow was held at Ratcliffe Hicks Arena in Storrs, Connecticut, with Grand Entry at noon and community activities throughout the day. UConn later highlighted the powwow as a gathering where community, history, and education were at the forefront.
At the powwow, Liliana danced old style fancy shawl in a new dress she made the night before. She also reconnected with former UNITY 25 Under 25 honoree Kiara Tanta-Quidgeon, catching up on life and UNITY-related work. These moments helped Liliana reconnect with culture, movement, relatives, and the broader UNITY family.
Liliana also attended the Haliwa-Saponi Blooming of the Dogwood Hollister Powwow in North Carolina. The 61st annual Blooming of the Dogwood Powwow was held in Hollister and is recognized by the North Carolina American Indian Heritage Commission as North Carolina’s oldest powwow. The event brought together dancers, drums, families, vendors, and visitors from across regions, creating a space for celebration and cultural connection. For Liliana, the weekend was deeply personal. It was her first time traveling far from home since her sister’s diagnosis, and she shared that being with her partner and his family helped ease the fear and anxiety she carried. Together, they talked, cried, laughed, joked, and danced.
Liliana reflected, “These powwows, events, and meetup truly helped ease myself back into what felt like a normal life.”
She also shared, “When they say dancing is healing.. that is the truest statement as I felt all of the medicine and prayers that were said and given for myself and my family.”
Her words remind us that cultural spaces are not just events on a calendar. They can be places of prayer, medicine, belonging, and emotional restoration.
Liliana also attended an Earth Day Gathering hosted at her Tribe’s farm in Westerly, Rhode Island. Although she arrived toward the end of the event, she was able to visit informational booths focused on environmental advocacy, organizations, nonprofits, and companies working on environmental issues in Rhode Island. During the gathering, she met with the head of the Tribe’s natural resources department to discuss possible dates and planning details for a Northeast in-person gathering. They talked through potential presenters, attendees, activities, and timing, with possible dates being considered for late May.
This conversation reflected Liliana’s continued commitment to connecting Native youth with environmental learning, Tribal natural resources, and regional leadership opportunities.
Liliana also hosted her second spring regional gathering as the Northeast Representative. She shared that the gathering had a strong turnout, including youth council members and individual Native youth from across the region. During the meetup, Liliana listened to youth share the work they are doing in their communities, the challenges they are facing, and the support they need. She answered questions about UNITY, shared updates, played an icebreaker to help youth connect, and provided information about her upcoming gathering. Most importantly, she made space for youth to be heard.
Liliana shared, “Truly they are who inspires me to do more than what I do as their representative, and they will continue to push me to be the best version of myself that I can be!”
That kind of reflection shows the heart of servant leadership. Liliana is not only representing youth; she is being shaped and strengthened by them.
One of the most meaningful moments of Liliana’s month was welcoming her baby sister home from the hospital after a month-long stay. After weeks of supporting her family, Liliana shared that she did not want to leave her sister or her home because she was making up for the time they had been apart. Her honesty reflects a powerful truth: Native youth leaders carry family responsibilities, emotional realities, and caregiving roles alongside their public service. Liliana’s leadership this month was rooted in love, protection, and showing up for the people closest to her.
She shared, “Engaging with family and being around them helped soothe my mind and calm down a part of me I didn’t know was still in flight mode.”
Liliana’s April reflects the mission of the National UNITY Council, which brings together Native youth, Native Hawaiian youth, and Alaskan Native youth to study common concerns, strengthen leadership skills, and speak with a positive and unified voice. Through cultural connection, environmental planning, regional youth outreach, and family-centered care, Liliana is helping inspire hope and change lives for the better in Indian Country.
As the Northeast Regional Representative on the National UNITY Council Executive Committee, Liliana Mars plays an important role in representing Native youth voices from her region while helping strengthen UNITY’s national network. Her month shows that leadership can be tender and powerful at the same time. Through dance, family, youth connection, and healing, Liliana returned to the work with a stronger heart and a renewed purpose to serve.