The Tribal Youth Justice Resource Center (TYJRC) is home to youth leadership and empowerment initiatives: the Young Leaders and the Emerging Leaders. These young people represent diverse voices from various Tribes, Villages, and Pueblos, ranging from Florida to the West Coast, to Alaska. Over the last several years, the TYJRC Young and Emerging Leaders have brought their voices, innovation, and creativity to make an ongoing impact both within their communities and at a national level, contributing to the TYJRC’s efforts in myriad ways. We invite you to explore the page below to learn about these initiatives and meet the young people leading them!
Young Leaders
Tribal Youth Justice Resource Center Young Leaders are a unique group actively co-creating positive impacts in their Tribal communities with their peers, while also expanding their own lived experiences. The TYJRC Young Leaders embody the purpose of the TYJRC: “Enhancing the opportunities for Indigenous communities to expand their potential in protecting and nurturing their most sacred asset – their youth.” The Young Leaders develop and facilitate TYJRC Online Learning Events, conference sessions, podcasts, blogs, and newsletters, as well as provide Openings and Closings for TYJRC meetings and events.
Meet the four TYJRC Young Leaders below!
CeCe Thomas
Estonko! My name is CeCe Thomas. I am a member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida and reside on the Brighton Seminole Reservation. I am a 2025 Youth Leader at the Tribal Youth Resource Center, and I am very honored to be a part of this program. I am currently working on my bachelor’s degree as a student at the University of Oklahoma, majoring in Native American Studies with a minor in Art. I have taken an opportunity to travel around Indian country as an ambassador/tribal royalty for my tribe. I am heavily influenced by my Seminole heritage and hope to encourage Native youth, not only from my tribe but across Indian Country, to become more involved in their communities. I believe the youth are not just the future leaders of tomorrow, but are also leaders of today, and they serve an important role in the shaping of our communities. Besides all the seriousness, I enjoy painting and sewing. I hope to one day start a small business selling my artwork. Mvto, Thank you.
Lolita King
My name is Lolita King, and I am 21 years old. I currently reside in Rapid City, SD, and I am a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. I work with youth who experience homelessness and housing insecurity. In my current role, I help these young individuals develop life skills and encourage them to use their voices to overcome the barriers they face. Given their lived experiences, it is vital to ensure that they have a say in decisions that affect their community. I have been attending college online for a Criminal Justice degree in human services, but in the past few months, I switched to a BA in Human Services with a focus on Child and Family Services. In my free time, I enjoy hiking and connecting with nature alongside my loved ones. I am also excited to begin my journey into motherhood in the next few months.
Lorraine Mazzetti
Lorraine Mazzetti is from the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians; she graduated from UCLA in 2023 with two bachelor’s degrees in political science and American Indian studies. After graduation, she returned home to the Rincon reservation and worked for the Intertribal Court of Southern California, a tribal court that serves a consortium of tribes. Mazzetti currently serves as the Education Wellness Advocate, collaborating closely with the Tribal Youth Court. She plays a key role in supporting Native youth by providing diversion services with the goal of fostering positive change within their tribal communities. Mazzetti is looking forward to participating in the TYJRC Young Leaders Program and voicing her role in Tribal Restorative Justice.
Temyal N Lomayesva
Temyal N. Lomayesva is a proud member of the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel and a descendant of the Hopi Tribe. A recent graduate of the University of California, Temyal earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with a focus on Climate Change and Human Solutions. Passionate about advocating for Tribal Nations and sustainable futures, Temyal is furthering her education by applying to law school with the goal of specializing in Agricultural Law. Temyal currently serves as the Youth Wellness Advocate for the Intertribal Court of Southern California, where she advocates for the Tribal Youth Court Diversion Program which works to empower Native youth and promote restorative justice within tribal communities.
We would also like to acknowledge our recent Tribal Youth Resource Center Young Leader graduates: Kaitlin Martinez (Mentor), O’odham and Dine; Colby WhiteThunder (Mentor), Alabama-Coushatta / Omaha; Isabella Fridia, Hanhe Wi Iyoyanpa Win (Bright Shining Moon Woman), Wichita, Kiowa, Caddo, Hunka Oglala Lakota; James John II, Kipnuk Traditional Council; Misty Sandoval, Navajo and Seminole.
Acknowledging the Emerging Leaders
Although the TYJRC Emerging Leaders program is paused, we would like to acknowledge the graduates of the TYJRC Young Leaders mentorship program. They were mentored by the TYJRC to deepen their leadership in developing and facilitating TYJRC events, panels, podcasts, blogs, newsletters, and more. In their expanded role as Emerging Leaders, they provided virtual and onsite training and technical assistance to Youth Healing to Wellness Courts and Tribal Youth Programs funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the areas of cultivating youth leadership and sustaining youth engagement in youth-centered programs and services.
We are acknowledging the previous three 2025-2026 TYJRC Emerging Leaders below!
Anagali (Shace) Duncan
ᎠᎾᎦᎵ a-na-ga-li (lightening)
Keetoowah, Muskogee Creek, Seneca
Anagali (Shace) Duncan was born and raised on the Cherokee reservation. He is a current Junior at Stanford University studying Native American Studies. He is passionate about indigenous education and environmental justice. He has spoken at various places that include the White House tribal youth forum and the United Nations. He has worked on many projects that include building an ecological knowledge garden, and advocating for Indian Child Welfare. He is a current intern with the Tribal Law and Policy Institute where he works on mitigating jurisdictional conflicts with tribal, federal and state courts. He has been working with the Tribal Youth Justice Resource Center for the past three years. He aspires to step into the realm of policy-making and education. His vision is to create a world where indigenous youth can flourish in environments that have long marginalized them. His goal is to make meaningful contributions to his community through all that he does.
Sydney Matheson
Colville Confederated Tribes
My name is Sydney Matheson. I am a Tribal Youth Justice Resource Center Emerging Leader. I am an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation; my traditional homelands range from central Washington State into Southern British Columbia. I have spent much time there but now reside in Spokane, WA. I have a degree in criminal justice and have studied subjects such as juvenile justice at Georgetown University and Tribal Leadership at Harvard Business School. I am currently majoring in public policy and minoring in social justice & human rights through Arizona State University Online. As well as Tribal Governance and Business Management at Northwest Indian College. Behind the scenes I am a Certified Nursing Assistant, an Emergency Medical Technician, soon to be business owner, and a girl-mom. I enjoy spending time learning all subjects and mastering traditional arts such as storytelling, basket weaving, and regalia making. Limlimxt, thank you.
Sam Schimmel
Kenaitze Indian and Siberian Yupik Eskimo
Sam is St. Lawrence Island Siberian Yupik and Kenaitze Indian from Kenai, Alaska. From as far back as he can remember, he keeps life lessons front and center. “Listen to your elders, listen to your people, listen to stories told to you”. Sam uses Native Knowledge to influence and direct local as well as national community efforts to better the lives of Alaska Natives and American Indians. He grew up berry picking, subsistence hunting, and fishing. He was a 2017 Center For Native American Youth Champion for Change. In 2018 he was appointed by the Governor of Alaska to serve on the State of Alaska’s Climate Action Leadership Team, where he helped craft the state’s policy on climate change. In 2019 the National Congress of American Indians recognized him with the Youth Leadership Award. In 2020 he was awarded the Alaska Federation of Native’s Presidents Youth Leadership Award. In 2021 Sam launched Operation Fish Drop, a program which sought to give urban Native populations access to traditional foods during the Covid 19 pandemic. Sam graduated from Stanford University in 2022. He continues to be an invested member of his community, supporting and often directing positive change for Alaska Native and American Indians. He spent his 1L summer Clerking for the Alaska Native Justice Center, and is now in his second year of Law School at Georgetown University.
