Emerging Leader Spotlight: Mackenzie Englishoe
At 19 years old, Mackenzie Englishoe credits her sense of direction in life to knowing where she comes from. She is the daughter of Nicole James/Englishoe, granddaughter of Denise James/Englishoe and Sonny James, great-granddaughter of Margeret Mariam Englishoe/James and Skully James, and a member of the Caribou Clan of the Gwichyaa Zhee tribe. Mackenzie joined the Emerging Leaders to advocate for the preservation of tradition.
She moved to Fairbanks from Chandalar Lake when she was 12, and currently studies Biology and Tribal Government at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Mackenzie’s top goals as an Emerging Leader are to get youth more involved with fighting for traditional lands, waters, and animal relatives, and working collaboratively with Tribal governments in advocacy. “Having our traditional homelands and animals remain safe is not only important now,” she says, “but it’s important for all of our future generations.”
Mackenzie’s goals for Emerging Leaders are intertwined with her education and career path. She is studying to become a biologist specializing in Yukon River salmon. “Something I’ve noticed while advocating for the Yukon Salmon is that outsiders always throw western data in our faces and don’t take Alaska Natives seriously because we don’t have the same degrees as them,” Mackenzie says, “They don’t understand that traditional knowledge has been passed down through generations for millennia, and should be as valuable or more valuable than western knowledge.” She asserts that having Native representation in the fields of science and biology is crucial to the salvation of Alaska’s salmon and rivers, and we agree.
Emerging Leaders are tasked with being a bridge between youth and the TCC communities, and Mackenzie is an excellent conduit. Her message to youth is that the time to act on dreams and goals is now. “Learn as many stories, traditions, skills, language, and knowledge that you can during the time that we have now,” she says, “our Elders are not always going to be around to share those things on our own time.” Additionally, her message on behalf of youth to the community is one of encouragement. “Uplift us, teach us, believe in us. We will be strong leaders in the future,” she says, “We are today’s youth, and tomorrow’s elders.”
We are honored to have Mackenzie on our Emerging Leaders committee, and look forward to watching her evolve as an Indigenous leader!