“I hope this project and further research are used as gift(s) to help societies/communities critically examine, collectively address, and work towards identifying teachings of trauma in order to support accountable and communal healing and restoration.”

Carina Wilson is an Indigenous educator, mother, and intergenerational changemaker who supports life-giving educational spaces and (re)connection pathways for herself and her community. In high school, Carina won the Jeffco Hero’s Award for her leadership and contributions to her community in Edgewater, Colorado. She also earned the competitive, merit-based QuestBridge Scholarship, which she used to attend Grinnell College. A first-generation college student, Carina graduated with a bachelor’s in Anthropology from Grinnell in 2019. That year, she and her partner celebrated and welcomed their first child, Keone, into the world. Carina writes, “My son is the most important element of my personal journey.” After graduation, Carina gained substantial experience in the education field, including working with AmeriCorps as a Service and Social Innovation Member and as a contracted Behavioral Health Intervention Specialist with Healthy Homes Family Services in predominantly low-income families. 

Carina is currently pursuing a master’s in educational studies from the University of Michigan. According to her academic advisor, Carina is a “delightful, conscientious, dedicated, and highly skilled student and educator” who is “committed to contributing to transformative education and healing practices.” While in graduate school, she has served as a student ambassador in the School of Education, undertaken conflict exploration trainings, and participated in a summer fellowship program through Intergroup Relations. Carina is also writing an autoethnography that, as she explains, will “identify educational/learning moments where trauma, healing, and restoration were passed on through my relationships and teachings with/from others.” Carina plans to apply to PhD programs, and describes her vision for the future: “I hope this project and further research are used as gift(s) to help societies/communities critically examine, collectively address, and work towards identifying teachings of trauma in order to support accountable and communal healing and restoration.”

CEW+ celebrates Carina’s vision and names her the Amy Mecozzi Cho and Lawrence Cho Family Scholar.