Being committed to a cause can make a difference in the world. 

That’s what tribal attorney, environmental and Indigenous rights advocate, and Indian nation citizen Tara Houska has done in protecting Mother Earth, defending the sacred, and living in balance with nature – from trying to change legislation on Capitol Hill to resisting oil pipelines across the United States and being a part of the largest ever protest of bank financing of fossil fuels. 

Houska was the featured speaker at this spring’s convocation that commemorated the life of Fred Begay, the first Indigenous American to earn a doctorate in nuclear physics. The event was organized by the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging to bring speakers with different viewpoints to campus. 

“Always keep opening doors. Provide a voice for others. Respect that every relationship matters,” Houska told an audience of students, faculty, staff, and campus guests in the Hatfield Hall Theater. “We’re all powerful.” 

Houska could identify with the interests of many members of the audience. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology before adding a law degree, both from the University of Minnesota. The citizen of Couchiching First Nation became an environmental and Indigenous rights advocate throughout the country, helping those that can’t help themselves.

In her Rose-Hulman speech, Houska urged people to “create space for social change and find the bridge that’s between us.”    

Houska founded the Giniw Collective, an Indigenous women spirit-led frontline resistance that’s defending the sacred and is encouraging people to live in balance. She was active in resisting the Line 3 oil pipeline and stood along Native Americans in the Standing Rock Resistance that successful fought the Dakota Access pipeline project. She is now heavily involved in the movement to defund the use of fossil fuels as an energy resource.

"It's incredible what you can do when you stand together," Houska remarked.

Recipient of the 2021 American Climate Leadership Award and 2019 Rachel’s Network Catalyst Award, Houska has been a popular TED Talks speaker, written for the women-led climate anthology “All We Can Save,” and served as an advisor on Native American affairs to Senator and Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. She has written about her humanistic causes for the New York Times, CNN, Vogue, and Indian Country Today.