The Utah Division of Indian Affairs is honored to announce the winners of the 2026 Changemaker Awards. The awards are part of the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program under the umbrella of the Utah Native American Summit.
The Changemaker Award aims to recognize and celebrate the outstanding leadership, dedication, and positive impact of Indigenous youth (American Indian/Alaskan Native) within their Tribal Nations/communities in Utah. This award seeks to highlight Indigenous youth who demonstrate commitment to cultural preservation and promotion, community service and engagement, academic excellence and career growth.
The six Changemaker were nominated by members of their respective communities for their immense work and accomplishments. An selection committee had the opportunity to review their applications and select the amazing award recipients. The award recipients will be recognized at this year’s Utah Native American Summit on July 31st at Utah Valley University. Please join them in celebrating and honoring their dedication and positive impact they have made as leaders are making in our part of Indian Country.
Tikani Anderson
Tribal Nation: Squamish Tribe, Salish Nation
Cultural Education and Hoop Dance Performances: He is an accomplished hoop dancer who has performed over 30 times at various schools throughout the Nebo School District and across Utah to educate students and community members about Native American traditions and history.
Hoop Dance Instruction and Workshops: He took his leadership a step further by creating and leading a month-long after-school hoop dance workshop for Nebo Title VI students, teaching them both the artistic skills and the cultural significance of the dance.
Cultural Engagement: He traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, to compete in the 36th Annual World Hoop Dance Competition, using the opportunity to learn from other skilled hoop dancers from around the world.
Nebo Title VI Leadership: He served as the 8th-grade representative for Nebo Title VI and was selected as the winner of the Nebo Title VI Ambassador Pageant, currently serving as the Senior Ambassador to represent the program.
Academic Excellence: He is a 4.0 GPA honor student who has never ended an academic term with less than a perfect grade point average.
School and Community Leadership: He has held multiple leadership positions, including involvement in the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS), Sources of Strength, leadership classes, and youth leadership positions within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Cultural Advocacy and Inclusivity: Utilizing his personal motto, “Everyone has culture,” and sharing impactful poetry inspired by his sister, he actively promotes cultural awareness, encouraging youth from all backgrounds—including those who feel insecure about their heritage—to embrace and seek out their roots.
Saylor Dandy
Tribal Nation: Diné
Navajo Language and Cultural Preservation: Taught her native language from a very young age while living in Monument Valley, she honors her identity by practicing Navajo culture, completing her traditional “coming of age” ceremony, and assisting elders, her mother, and aunties with cultural ceremonies.
Early Public Representation: Invited as a second-grade student to sing the National Anthem in the Navajo language at the opening of the 2016 Utah Summit held at Utah Valley University.
Cultural Pageant Titles: Represented her peers, family, and heritage across educational conferences, tribal events, veterans’ celebrations, and regional Navajo fairs after winning titles such as Little Miss Western Navajo in elementary school and “Miss Blue Mountain” princess as a high school freshman.
Youth Council Leadership: Served all four years of high school as a member of the UNITY (United National Indian Tribal Youth) program and acted as the President of the Native Youth Council for the San Juan School District, where she and her peers organized community and school cultural fashion shows for two years.
Academic Competitions and Health Ambitions: Competed alongside her peers in the Navajo Knowledge Bowl to demonstrate traditional cultural teachings, participated in the Navajo language spelling bee, and excelled as a two-year member of HOSA (Utah Health Professions) with the goal of becoming a professional healthcare provider.
Wrestling Program Trailblazer: Spearheaded the creation of the first-ever girls’ wrestling team at San Juan High School during her junior year by recruiting classmates and gaining administration approval.
Athletic Excellence: Served as a two-year wrestling team captain, achieving All-State honors, securing a 30-10 personal record her senior year, winning the Winter Classic championship, and placing 4th and 3rd individually at the Utah State meets to lift her team to consecutive 4th and 3rd place state finishes.
Dowawisnima Groves
Tribal Nation: Ute (Uintah & Ouray Reservation), Hopi
Dreamstarter Program Management: Selected as a Running Strong Dreamstarter, she used her grant to design, budget, and facilitate extensive cultural art workshops in beadwork, filmmaking, powwow song and dance, regalia making, and 2-D art.
Broad Community Impact: Personally managed every operational aspect of her art program—including artist recruitment, participant enrollment, and outcome tracking—ultimately reaching over 100 participants ranging from six-year-old children to adults.
Powwow Leadership and Hosting: An accomplished artist and champion Jingle Dress Dancer, she partnered with the University of Utah to host a youth dance special at their annual powwow, attracting nearly 50 young participants.
Dedicated Youth Mentorship: Commits her personal time to mentoring and teaching young children, such as welcoming community families and directly teaching a six-year-old how to dance.
Urban Native Youth Advocacy: Focuses her cultural events on helping urban Native youth build meaningful peer connections, fostering spaces where they can safely navigate living between two worlds and bond with others in their community.
Extensive Organizational Collaboration: Partnered across Utah with numerous key institutions—including the Turtle Island Art Collective, the University of Utah, Alpine School District, Mountain View High School, Cultural Fire Events, and The Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake—to lead cultural presentations and art workshops.
Youth Art Show Coordination: Partnered with the Natural History Museum of Utah to organize a dedicated art show featuring dozens of submissions from Native American youth, using the platform to deliver a powerful keynote inspiring the next generation to continue creating Native art.
Anisa Pelayo
Tribal Nation: Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah – Cedar Band
Historic Academic Excellence: Graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where she became the first Native American undergraduate student in the institution’s history to be named the UNLV Outstanding Student Graduate.
Scholarship and Academic Honors: Earned the prestigious Lee Scholar designation and the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation Scholarship through the American Indigenous Business Leaders (AIBL) organization.
Professional Accomplishments: Completed a digital marketing internship at the Palms Casino & Resort and currently serves as the Marketing & Outreach Coordinator for the Indian Nations Gaming & Governance Program.
Policy-Level Publications: Co-authored a published article in Tribal Business News titled “Why We’re Paying Attention to Prediction Markets,” exploring the implications of prediction market platforms on tribal gaming sovereignty under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
Founding Campus Leadership: Co-founded and served as the President of UNLV’s AIBL chapter, developing a student organization that partnered with both Native and non-Native entities across Las Vegas and Indian Country.
Cultural and Tribal Dedication: Crowned Miss Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah in 2022 through her dedication in the powwow circle, and maintained an active cultural connection by commuting from Las Vegas back to Cedar City, Utah, nearly every weekend during her undergraduate studies.
Crisis Leadership and Resilience: Following the tragic December 2023 UNLV campus shooting—in which she lost her professor, Dr. Chang—she stepped forward to lead healing circles on campus and supported her peers while maintaining her rigorous academic and leadership commitments.
Future Legal Aspirations: Aims to attend law school to return and serve the Cedar Band of Paiute Indians and the Paiute Tribe of Utah in a legal capacity, specializing in tribal sovereignty, governance, and rights.
Savannah Pete
Tribal Nation: Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, Duckwater Shoshone, Te-Moak Shoshone, Yomba Shoshone, Diné
Native American Club Leadership: Served as the President of the Wendover High School Native American Club during her second year, where she helped design the club logo and assisted in developing club rules and a code of conduct promoting respect, responsibility, and unity.
Cultural Event Organization: Organized and hosted a major cultural education event at her high school, coordinating with cultural representatives, Pow Wow dancers, Fort Hall individuals, and Goshute Royalty to share traditions and songs with students and community members.
Language and Cultural Preservation: Actively learns, practices, and shares the Newe (Shoshone/Goshute) language and traditions. Immersed in the language by her fluent grandparents and Goshute Elder Virgil Johnson, she now confidently sings traditional Shoshone round dance songs in public to keep the heritage alive.
Community Representation: Frequently represents her community and youth by participating in powwows, cultural events, student representation forums, and conventions with youth tracks.
Peer and Family Mentorship: Serves as a direct role model and leader to her two younger sisters and peers, using her knowledge of traditional hunting, self-care, and traditional foods to teach other young people about their heritage.
Cynthia Tsosie
Tribal Nation: Diné
Diverse Technical and Academic Foundation: Holds an Associate of General Studies degree from USU Blanding alongside workforce certifications in Ranch Management, Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), and Entry-Level Heavy Equipment Operation.
Agricultural and Business Insights: Utilized her experience as an over-the-road commercial truck driver across 22 states with Werner Enterprises—observing supply chains and livestock feed movement—to pivot into a bachelor’s degree in Animal and Dairy Science with an Agricultural Business minor at USU Logan.
First-Generation Student Leadership: Actively participates in the Aggies First Scholars program, serving as a direct role model and advocate for fellow first-generation college students.
Powwow Leadership and Fundraising: Served as the Head Woman Dancer for the 48th Annual USU Powwow, where she helped raise over $1,000 for the event and secured 10+ community and university donations to provide gifts for Tiny Tots, first-generation women, and other participants.
Dedicated Community Service: Contributed more than 100 hours of community service through leadership, advocacy, and volunteerism, which includes ongoing summer volunteer work in her hometown of Kayenta, Arizona.
Student Mentorship: Partnered with her attendants and the Native American Student Council to mentor five Native American students, guiding them in academic success, campus involvement, and personal growth.
Campus Infrastructure Advocacy: Advocated alongside university leadership and the student council to transition the campus Native American Room into a dedicated center with sustainable programming for future generations.
