Bringing aid home

Born on the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska, Susan La Flesche Picotte pursued medicine when few women had such an opportunity. In 1889, she became the first Native woman to earn a medical degree in the United States before returning home to serve her people.

She cared for more than 1,200 patients across roughly 1,350 square miles, often traveling long distances to reach them. She advocated for public health and helped establish a hospital in Walthill, Nebraska, bringing healthcare within reach of the community that inspired her path.

Exploring new worlds

Diné (Navajo) mechanical engineer Aaron Yazzie has helped take exploration beyond Earth by assisting scientists in collecting and studying geological samples on another world. At NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he designs systems for robotic space missions and has contributed to Mars projects, including the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers.

Through education and outreach, Aaron encourages Native representation in STEM, while also mentoring and inspiring Indigenous and underrepresented students to see themselves in science and engineering. As Aaron reaches new frontiers, he’s helping others reach them, too.

Looking beyond Earth

Cherokee Nation citizen Mary Golda Ross turned her mathematical talents toward the skies, helping shape early aerospace engineering. At Lockheed, she was the only woman on the original team of its secretive Skunk Works program, exploring possibilities that once seemed like science fiction.

Her work included studies of interplanetary travel and calculations for journeys to Mars and Venus. Mary’s career placed a Cherokee woman at the forefront of America’s emerging space age, while she dedicated her life to education and advocacy for women and Native people.

Bridging knowledge

Fred Begay learned traditional Diné teachings long before entering a physics laboratory. He pursued scientific study and, in 1972, became the first member of the Navajo Nation to earn a doctorate in physics.

At Los Alamos National Laboratory, Fred contributed to research involving lasers, thermonuclear fusion and alternative energy. He carried his earliest teachings with him throughout his career, drawing connections between Diné knowledge and Western physics, and demonstrating that different ways of understanding the natural world can coexist and enrich one another.

Expanding the meaning of healing

Lori Arviso Alvord entered a field where few shared her background, becoming the first Navajo woman to be board-certified in surgery.

But Lori’s contributions extend beyond the operating room. She explored how Western medicine can work alongside Navajo principles of balance, harmony, relationships and connection to one’s surroundings. Her approach helped broaden the idea of healing itself — recognizing that caring for the person can extend beyond treating an illness.

Their stories remind us that progress grows stronger when different experiences, traditions and perspectives have a place in shaping what comes next.