Project 1 Reflection:
Working on my first project about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) was a profoundly personal and life changing experience this issue is deeply rooted in my identity especially as a Native American and living within a native community it represents not only the struggles we face but also the resilience of Indigenous women and families living in New Mexico where MMIW rates are alarmingly high I felt an urgent responsibility to increase the information about this crisis through my work not only bringing awareness to it but to inform others about what is happening.
From the start I knew this project had to strike a delicate balance between emotional impact and informational clarity MMIW is not just a statistic it’s about real women, real lives, and lives that had changed due to a sister, a mother, grandmother, had become one of the many Missing Murdered Indigenous sisters and the ripples of grief that spread through not only the families but many of the communities as well the challenge for me was to convey the gravity of the issue without overwhelming my audience to the point that they would or might disengagement this balance guided every design choice I had made from the symbolic red handprints, dresses onto the carefully chosen language that was direct but compassionate if I do say so myself.
However the process of creating this flyer pushed me to think critically about visual storytelling and the power of imagery I spent hours deciding how to arrange the bold visuals and impactful statistics such as New Mexico’s disproportionate rates of missing Indigenous women which will instead but used in a later project as I wanted the flyer to feel urgent yet accessible, especially for students who may not have been exposed to the before I remember reworking the layout multiple times asking myself “Does this resonate? Will someone feel compelled to stop and learn more?” will this help my audience engage more will this help with making my stuff more eye catching I asked myself multiple times if there was a problem with my work even asking classmates outside of class for help.
This project also gave me a chance to reflect on the broader implications of raising awareness I realized that even small efforts like crafting a flyer can spark conversations that lead to meaningful change. It reminded me of the strength of my community and the importance of advocating for justice no matter how small the platform might seem. As well as on a personal level, this project reinforced my connection to my heritage and my commitment to using my voice for advocacy I felt a deep sense of pride when I completed the flyer because it wasn’t just an assignment it was a tribute to the women we’ve lost and a call to action for others to join the fight for justice so when that is why my flyer is saying "Have you seen her? Of course not shes indigenous." it comes from not being seen as an indigenous person as we are always ignored and it's been going on for far to long.
Project 2 summary: Final
This project gave me a chance to really dive into the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) something that’s not just a research topic for me but a reality that hits close to home. It’s an issue that’s deeply personal, as it’s affected families like mine and so many others in Indigenous communities working on this project wasn’t easy it brought up a lot of emotions but it also felt empowering to shine a light on something that matters so much to me.
One of the hardest parts was figuring out how to focus my research MMIW is such a big and complicated issue and I wanted to make sure that what I shared was meaningful and respectful I decided to focus on sources written by Native American authors and communities because I knew they would have the most honest and valuable insights. Reading those perspectives helped me understand the historical roots of this crisis and how it’s connected to the bigger systems that have failed Indigenous women for generations.
The research itself took a lot of time and energy I spent late nights going through articles trying to make sure the information I used was accurate and relevant It was overwhelming at times because there’s so much out there, but not all of it really gets to the heart of the issue. I remember one night I changed my search terms from just “MMIW” to “MMIW and knowledge gaps,” and that led me to an article that completely changed how I thought about the project It reminded me how important it is to stay flexible and open during research because sometimes a small change can lead to a big breakthrough.
What made this project even more personal was thinking about how MMIW has affected my own community. In Navajo culture, our clanship connects us all so when one family loses someone it’s felt by everyone. That connection pushed me to make sure my work wasn’t just about presenting facts it was about honoring the women who’ve been lost and the families who are still searching for answers that emotional connection was a big motivator but it also made the work heavy at times and It wasn’t easy to read stories or look at statistics knowing how close this hits to home.
One part of this project that surprised me was how much I came to rely on Zotero for organizing my research. At first I didn’t think I’d need it but it ended up making my life so much easier. Instead of scrambling to keep track of my sources or stressing about formatting citations I could just focus on the work itself It’s one of those tools I didn’t know I needed, but now I can’t imagine doing a project without it. No matter how much I will complain I will still use it.
Looking back on this project I feel like I’ve grown a lot It wasn’t just about completing an assignment it was about taking a step toward raising awareness for something that’s so important even though it’s just one project I hope it helps start conversations and inspires others to learn more or take action. It also reminded me how powerful it can be to use my voice and my skills to advocate for change this experience has motivated me to keep finding ways to bring attention to MMIW whether it’s through research, conversations, or creating something that makes people stop and think I feel proud of the work I’ve done and I know it’s only the beginning of what I want to do to support this cause.
Project 3 Reflection: Final
For my third project, I developed a news-style slide presentation and video to address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis, focusing specifically on its impact in New Mexico this format was a new challenge for me requiring a balance of storytelling, research, and multimedia skills to create something that was both informative and emotionally engaging for my audience as I wish to inform and not overwhelm or underwhelm as the crisis is a very sensitive topic for a lot of people.
From the beginning I knew this project had to resonate with my audience the MMIW crisis is deeply personal and I wanted to ensure that my presentation honored the women and families affected while educating viewers about the issue’s urgency. Condensing such a complex topic into a concise format was one of the hardest parts. I spent hours selecting key statistics and stories that struck the right balance between emotional appeal and respectful representation It was hard at first as there are not a lot of people who know and there is even less when it comes to the statistics if there are then they date back to like 2017 or the most recent was 2020 So finding people who knew challenging but finding statistics that weren't out of date was even more challenging.
One of the moments that stands out was choosing the visuals for the slides I wanted the imagery to be powerful but not overwhelming so I included elements like maps showing New Mexico’s high rates of MMIW cases and photos symbolizing resilience such as traditional regalia and red dresses these visuals combined with carefully crafted narration, allowed me to tell a story that I hope will stay with my audience and then they might even spread it to their friends and then it will hopefully continue on from there.
This project also pushed me out of my comfort zone a lot especially having to deal with technology such as Editing the video and syncing it with my slides that was a bit more of a steep learning curve, but it taught me how to use multimedia tools to enhance a message I now have a greater appreciation for the power of visuals and tone in raising awareness and inspiring action but going back to the video I had thought I had done a great job with it as it was something that was rather challenging but it was very eye opening as I thought I new how to work with technology but apparently not as much as I thought I did.
However reflecting on this project I’m proud of how it all came together It reminded me of the importance of storytelling as a tool for advocacy especially since story telling is also a big part of my culture and the story are always meaningful especially for issues that often go unnoticed such as the topic I had chosen about MMIW. So when it comes to creating this presentation wasn’t just about fulfilling an assignment it was about giving a voice to those who can no longer speak for themselves and empowering others to take action also in many ways this project feels like a culmination of everything I’ve learned this semester It reinforced the value of research the importance of thoughtful presentation and the impact we can have when we combine our skills with our passions. I’m grateful for the opportunity to use my platform to shed light on the MMIW crisis, and I hope to continue raising awareness in the future.