Chris Newell
Instructor in Residence, Native American Cultural Director - christopher.newell@uconn.edu
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Nation: Passamaquoddy Tribe
Chris Newell is co-founder/director of education for Akomawt Educational Initiative; a majority Native-owned educational consultancy based in Connecticut and author of Scholastic's If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving. He is a multi-award-winning museum professional born and raised in Motahkmikuhk (Indian Township, ME) and a proud citizen of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for the New England Museum Association, Tides Institute, and Maine Public.
Chris is a long-time singer with the acclaimed Mystic River singers based out of Connecticut and has traveled the US and Canada singing and participating in cultural celebrations, pow wows, and live stage performance. Chris was the Senior Advisor for the Emmy-award winning documentary Dawnland and co-director of the short documentary Weckuwapok (The Approaching Dawn) (2022) chronicling a historic sunrise concert collaboration in 2021 with Wabanaki musicians/storytellers and 18-time Grammy-winning cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Vange Hopkins
Graduate Assistant - vmy25002@uconn.edu
IIREP Masters Candidate, Bachelor of Arts - Political Science from the University of Rhode Island
Nation: Narragansett
Hello, my name is Vange Hopkins and I am a member of the Narragansett Indian Tribe and a MA candidate in Political Science concentrating in Intersectional indignity, Race, Ethnicity, and Politics (IIREP). My academic and community work focuses on Indigenous sovereignty, governance, and educational justice, with particular attention to how institutions can be reshaped through Indigenous epistemologies.
I am actively engaged with the Tribal Education Initiative (TEI), a collaborative effort among Native and Indigenous students, faculty, staff, and allies to establish a sustained institutional presence for Indigenous peoples. This work seeks to hold the university accountable to its origins in Indigenous dispossession and to press for the fulfillment of its responsibilities as a land- and sea-grant university.
My research and advocacy center the lived experience of Narragansett and other Indigenous communities while exploring how Indigenous knowledge systems serve as frameworks of resilience and renewal. By bridging academic inquiry with community engagement, I aim to advance projects that strengthen both scholarship and Indigenous futures.
Published the article “Re-visiting Roger Williams” in Motif RI (October 30, 2024), contributing to the Indigenous Heritage section. – https://motifri.com/re-visiting-roger-williams/
Jillian Watt
Graduate Assistant - jillian.watt@uconn.edu
(she/her/hers)
Masters Candidate: Health Promotion Sciences
Nation: Mohegan Tribe
Jillian is currently a first-year master’s student studying Health Promotion Sciences at the University of Connecticut, and she is the Graduate Assistant in the Native American Cultural Program. She graduated from the University of Connecticut as a University Honors Laureate and Honors Scholar with a Bachelor of Science in Allied Health Sciences with a concentration in Health Sciences and minors in both Spanish and Molecular & Cell Biology in August 2024, where she was also a four-year veteran of the UConn Dance Team. As a first-generation, Native American, female graduate student in the STEM field, Jillian’s research focuses on enhancing efforts to encourage healthy eating in Northeastern Native Americans with messages and materials that are grounded in culturally important food beliefs and patterns. With goals of becoming one of the first Native American Reproductive Endocrinologists, Jillian aspires to attend medical school in the Fall of 2026. Outside of academia, Jillian works as a Medical Laboratory Technologist in the Andrology and Endocrinology Laboratories at The Center for Advanced Reproductive Services in Farmington, CT, where she is also involved in research. As a Mohegan individual herself, she is also deeply involved with the UConn Tribal Education Initiative. She also works collaboratively with Dr. Sandy Grande and others on Indigenous initiatives at The UConn Center on Aging and the Pepper Center. Additionally, she sits as a member of the Mohegan Board of Education. In her free time, Jillian likes to spend time with her family and friends and play with her puppy
Ashlee Hamilton
Student Coordinator - ashlee.hamilton@uconn.edu
(she/her/hers)
Major: Sustainable Plant and Soil Systems
Concentration: Environmental Horticulture & Sustainable Agriculture
Nation: Mohegan Tribe
Ashlee is in her fourth year at UConn where she studies Sustainable Plant and Soil Systems. She is also apart of the Mohegan tribe in Connecticut. Aside from being a student, she is the Student Coordinator for the Native American Cultural Programs as well as the Co-President & Secretary of the Native American and Indigenous Students Association on campus. During her previous years, Ashlee has participated in NAISA since her freshman by actively attending meetings, engaging in Native and Indigenous topics while meeting new people and finding a sense of belonging within the community. Apart from being in NAISA, she participated in the UNISSN program as a mentee with her mentor who is now an alum, Samantha Gove. UNISSN is a network for freshman Native and Indigenous UConn students that provides connections and resources to thrive while adapting to academic, personal and social challenges in college. In her sophomore year, Ashlee became a UCINCEE mentor which allowed her to help guide a high school student with a project of their choosing and ultimately present their project to the community. Ashlee loves advocating and strives to strengthen this community for Native and Indigenous students to feel safe, respected and feel a sense of belonging on campus.
Aside from obtaining her degree at UConn, Ashlee hopes to travel to different countries within her lineage and to one day work for her tribe growing crops to promote food sovereignty on the reservation.
Kylene Chino
Office Coordinator - kylene.chino@uconn.edu
(she/her/hers)
Major: Political Science and Human Rights
Nation: Santa Ana Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo, and Navajo Nation
Kylene is in her fourth-year here at UConn. She is a proud citizen from Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico. Kylene is a double major in Political Science and Human Rights. Alongside being a student, she is an Office Coordinator for the Native American Cultural Programs and the Co-President of the Native American and Indigenous Students Association.
Being with NACP for four years, Kylene has been working towards building a community for Indigenous students on campus. She hopes to dedicate her last two years to working towards her goals and creating a home away from home for students after her.
Sebastian April
Student employee - sebastian.april@uconn.edu
Major: Plant Science
Minor: Cannabis Cultivation
Nation: Mi'kmaq
Sebastian April is a junior from Waterbury, CT. He is Mi'kmaq and Mexican American, majoring in Plant Science with a minor in Cannabis Cultivation. His long-term, goal is to work in cannabis cultivation in New England and to support tribal nations in developing economic sovereignty through cannabis cultivation and entrepreneurship.
As a freshman, Sebastian participated in the UNISSN Mentee Program, where he was mentored by UConn alumni Sage Phillips and Samantha Gove. In his sophomore year, he became a UCINCEE mentor, guiding a Native high school student through a project and helping them present their work to the community. At the end of the 2024 academic year, Sebastian was selected as Cornell's first Indigenous Summer Scholar a USDA and Cornell University funded program that supports native undergraduates conducting agricultural research. In the summer of 2025, he also took part in the IFAI Youth leadership Summit at the University of Arkansas. He currently works at the Native American Cultural Programs office and for Dr. Kat Milligan-McClellan in the microbiology department as a student lab and field analysis assistant.
Beyond academics and mentorship, Sebastian enjoys connecting with others and is dedicated to building a welcoming, supportive community for Native and Indigenous students and faculty on campus.
Christopher Torres
Student Employee - christopher.torres@uconn.edu
(he/him/his)
Major: IMJR Visual Design & Advertising
Minor: Studio Art
Nation: Not affiliated, ally
Chris is in his third year at UConn where he studies Visual Design & Advertising. Other than being a student, he is a Student Employee for the Native American Cultural Programs as well as the Co-social media chair of the Black Student Association and Co-Community Outreach Chair of the Afro-Latinx Alliance on campus.
Chris continues to make the Native American Cultural Programs and spaces alike within UConn a safe space for students of color to feel included and welcomed. He hopes that others will follow in his footsteps so that everyone can have a space where they feel like they belong. Outside of UConn, in his free time Chris enjoys playing video games and spending time with friends on spontaneous trips and adventures.
Nina Reines
Special employee- reinesni@miamioh.edu
(she/her/hers)
Masters Candidate - Biology
Nation: Mayan Mam
Nina is from Huehuetenango Guatemala and is a part of the Mayan Mam People. She is currently a first-year master's student at Miami University under Project Dragonfly - Advanced Inquiry Program. This unique program allows her to continue her studies both at home and in person under WCS Facilitators at the Bronx Zoo. She also currently works part time at Woodcock Nature Center during break day camps.
Nina graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science in May 2025. During her undergrad, she was both Student Staff and Student Coordinator for NACP. She was an active member/E-Board member in both NAISA and in another club on campus; Paws and Claws. In addition, she had the opportunity to be a Mentor for UNISSN Peer Mentorship Program under NACP in her sophomore year. The following year she was excited to help with coordinating the events in the program.
Watching the NACP Program grow from her Freshman year to now has been a gift. Even though Nina is no longer a student at UConn she is excited to be back working at NACP and with all the staff. Nina hopes to continue to help build a community for Indigenous Students and continue to help the program prosper.