Be a part of advocacy in Native Country!

​Our internships are year-round and project-based, allowing interns to choose from a curated list of meaningful projects that align with their interests and goals. Internships are 100% virtual and self-directed, meaning you must take the lead in managing your own work, time, and learning. They can be crafted to meet school or college requirements.​

How to Apply

We are not accepting internship applications at this time as we review and update our internship program. Please check back later for future opportunities.

Current Interns

​Lila Bigalow is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and is a current high school sophomore in Los Angeles. She writes for her school newspaper, runs on the track team, and is a member of DECA.

Lila says, "I am extremely excited and appreciative to have the opportunity of interning at the Association on American Indian Affairs. With this position, I hope to build upon my skills and interests, while uplifting a community that I appreciate and want to connect and learn more about. Through this position, I plan to show my dedication to the association and community, as well as hopefully leading to a new understanding.”
​Claire Lavarreda is a World History Ph.D. student at Northeastern University, focusing on Indigenous history, archives, memory, and material culture. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2021, where she majored in History and Social Sciences and minored in Spanish. Her mixed heritage inspires her work, encouraging a blend of approaches, perspectives, and cultures.
 
Claire says, "I am so excited to join the Association as an intern. The work being done to support youth, repatriation, and cultural preservation is very important, and I'm delighted to be able to contribute to this work. When you're in academia all the time, it can be easy to lose sight of the necessary and present-day work happening around you. As someone in the history field, I am especially interested in NAGPRA and repatriation in general and can't wait to intern with the Association on American Indian Affairs."
Riley Ehlert is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and a current high school junior in Los Angeles. Riley plays varsity basketball, runs on the track team, and is involved in a local Indigenous Youth Council in addition to other clubs. In her free time she enjoys reading, beading, and listening to music.

Riley says, “I am honored to have the opportunity to be an intern at the Association on American Indian Affairs and extremely excited to gain a better understanding of the contemporary issues facing Native Peoples. Through this internship, my goal is to advocate for the protection of Native Nations by spreading awareness to others. I hope to deepen my personal cultural connection by educating myself on Native sovereignty.”
Kaylee May is a proud ally and currently residing in Chromo, Colorado, working with and training a herd of horses. She has been traveling out West for several years now in pursuit of living remotely, in harmony with the land, and developing her horsemanship skills.
 
Kaylee says, “As I’ve grown into my early years of adulthood, I have noticed a lack of education and acknowledgment of the Native Nations who were the caretakers of this land before us. This alone has evoked so much emotion in me. I want to bring light to America’s true history and fight for Indigenous Peoples’ sacred rights. My hope with this opportunity with the Association is to delve deeper into my understanding of Native Nations and support the values important to them. I am honored to be embarking in this movement towards awareness and preservation of diverse Native cultures!”
Emely Zelaya is from Baltimore and currently attends Community College of Baltimore County. She is working toward an Associates in Political Science and is in the Multicultural Student Association and Honors Program.

Emely says, "I am thrilled to have this opportunity as an intern at the Association on American Indian Affairs. My goal in this internship is to broaden my knowledge on Native Country and raise awareness about the importance of protecting Indigenous Peoples and history within the country and globally."
Caylin Ingram is a citizen of the Yavapai-Apache Nation as well as a descendant of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. She received her B.A. from Fort Lewis College in Political Science & Criminology and Justice Studies. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona.

“I am deeply honored and excited to have the opportunity to serve as a legal and policy intern for the Association. I look forward to using my skills to serve my community as well as the broader public, and learning from my experience here as an intern in order to better serve my community.”
Karen Wheeldon is a Ph.D. student in Special Education with an emphasis in Vision Impairment at Texas Tech University. She brings nearly three decades of experience in special education and has taught students who are blind or visually impaired since 2005, including students with additional disabilities and students who are deafblind. Her work across classrooms has supported students with a wide range of learning needs.

Karen shared, “I am grateful for the opportunity to join Association on American Indian Affairs as an intern. Through this experience, I hope to continue learning while researching topics that support Native Nations and students with disabilities. As an educator committed to lifelong learning, I value collaboration and the chance to learn alongside others. I am thankful for the support of my spouse and three children, who make this work possible.”
Amelie Lock is a high school junior at Ladue Horton Watkins High School in St. Louis, Missouri. Originally from New York City, Amelie has a strong passion for theater and the arts and has performed nationally since the age of 10. She currently serves as an Ambassador for Arts Education in the state of Missouri and is interested in using advocacy and storytelling to support the work of Association on American Indian Affairs.

Amelie shared, “I am grateful for the opportunity to support Association on American Indian Affairs and its work to protect and uplift Native Nations and their citizens. Through this internship, I hope to learn how to advocate for truthful and responsible education about Native history in my school, my community, and beyond.”

Current Volunteers

Shado Rose LaCount-VanEyck is a Native photographer, storyteller, and creative rooted in her identity as a proud citizen of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. Through her lens, she captures more than images—she preserves spirit, tradition, and lived experiences. Her work weaves together themes of resilience, cultural pride, and human connection, using portrait photography as a modern vessel for Ancestral storytelling. With over two decades of experience behind the camera and a deep respect for Native wisdom and lifeways, Shado brings heart, authenticity, and vision to every shoot. Each photo session is approached with intentionality—creating space for her subjects to be seen, honored, and remembered. Now, she’s honored to partner with an organization that shares her commitment to cultural preservation and education.

“I’m incredibly excited to team up with an organization like the Association who is equally passionate about protecting, preserving and celebrating our culture. Being able to use my photography to tell our stories, amplify indigenous voices, and grow together in community is a true honor.”