Michaela Paulette Shirley, MCRP, is a Diné scholar from Kin Dah Lichii, Navajo Nation, Arizona, and a PhD Candidate in American Studies at the University of New Mexico. Her research examines the intersections of Diné sovereignty, education, community development, and land-based knowledge systems. Through archival research and autoethnographic reflection, she explores how Indigenous communities sustain collective well-being, governance, and self-determination through relationships among land, family, and community. Her work contributes to ongoing conversations about Indigenous planning, educational sovereignty, and community resurgence.