Marla Mesarina of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe & Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Named 2025-26 UNITY Earth Ambassador
UNITY is proud to announce Marla Mesarina, a 19-year-old student from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, as one of the newly named 2025 UNITY Earth Ambassadors. Representing the Midwest Region, Marla brings a vibrant blend of traditional knowledge, cultural humility, and innovative outreach through her digital storytelling platform, connecting Native youth to environmental stewardship rooted in Ojibwe values.
“To be an environmental ambassador is to teach, educate others, learn, love, and take care of Mother Earth,” Marla shared. “We descend from her, and we can show appreciation through practicing our cultural traditions and teachings of land usage.”
Marla’s passion for protecting the environment began at a young age. At just 14, she interned with the Leech Lake Division of Resource Management (DRM), where she tested surface water and collected environmental data. “She worked alongside adults and guided her peers,” noted her nominator, Jeff Harper. “Marla was a conscientious worker and a natural leader, already living the goals of an Earth Ambassador.”
As she grew, Marla’s leadership expanded from the forests to the screen. Today, she uses social media as an educational platform, creating vlog-style videos documenting her learning journey with the Leech Lake DRM and sharing teachings on Ojibwe land use and environmental ethics. “I share what I’m learning by putting it into a vlog and posting on UNITY Midwest, as well as my personal account,” she explained. “It’s to teach others how the traditional people of the Ojibwe homelands take care and connect with Mother Earth.”
Marla has also taken part in hands-on environmental action. “Last spring, me and my friends planted 6,000 cedar saplings on the reservation to prevent soil damage and erosion,” she shared. “And I’ve been out at sugar bush camp the past two years, where we tap trees and gather syrup.” Her work is guided not only by scientific knowledge but by ancestral teachings learned from elders and mentors.
As a UNITY Earth Ambassador, Marla will take her digital outreach to the next level with a new project focused on food sovereignty and traditional Ojibwe gathering practices. Her initiative will document seasonal harvesting of traditional foods and medicines, sharing stories and teachings from local elders and community members.
“This project will connect Native youth to their land and culture,” Marla said. “They’ll learn how to develop a relationship with the Earth through gathering, and see that taking care of the land is part of who we are.”
With the mentorship of Jeff Harper, Water Resource Program Manager at Leech Lake DRM, Marla’s project will highlight how environmental science and traditional ecological knowledge can work together to restore balance, build belonging, and inspire collective care.
“Marla is a thoughtful learner and courageous leader,” Harper wrote. “She engages with elders, seeks multiple perspectives, and isn’t afraid to change when new information is given. She leads by example.”
Through her lens, Marla is building a bridge between generations, communities, and knowledge systems—bringing Ojibwe traditions into the digital age to empower Native youth across the country.
Now joining a legacy of Earth Ambassadors who are forging bold solutions in climate action, Marla’s work will help address today’s environmental challenges with Indigenous teachings at the forefront.
“I want other Native youth to feel the sense of belonging that I feel because of educating myself on traditional land usage,” she said. “Through digital storytelling, we can pass that knowledge on, and ensure our future is connected, grounded, and thriving.”