Master’s student Paul Aguirre (Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians) recently received a Native Power Building Fellowship from the California Native Vote Project for a campaign to work with UCR’s student-parent committee to improve financial aid access for Native students.

Please meet CNVP Power Building Fellow, Paul Aguirre (he/him), a member of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. A graduate student and researcher, Paul’s work in American Indian Studies focuses on California Native American Studies and Ethnomusicology. He is passionate about community organizing, scholarly research, leadership, and youth development; and is dedicated to advancing Indigenous knowledge, cultural preservation, and empowerment within Native communities. Through the fellowship, Paul is working alongside Fellow Tierra Shelmire to advocate for a Native American Financial Aid Advisor within their Financial Aid office. Their campaign aims to ensure NAOP-eligible students are accurately identified, informed, and enrolled, while advancing a culturally competent financial aid system that respects Tribal sovereignty and reflects the lived experiences of Native students. CNVP’s Native Power Building Fellowship is an 18-month program uniting American Indian, Alaska Native, and Indigenous leaders across California for relationship-building, Indigenized leadership development, organizing, civic engagement, and the launch of community-driven campaigns that advance justice and self-determination for Native peoples. Learn more at https://bit.ly/4bnRDZX.