Brenna Yellowthunder ’17: A Leader for Change & Justice
Brenna (Two Bears) Yellowthunder ’17 made a lasting impact at Whitman College with a passion for art history and social justice. As the founder of the Indigenous Peoples Education and Culture Club (IPECC), Yellowthunder organized student events and activism and developed a commitment to community organizing. Today, Yellowthunder uplifts Native voices as Lead Coordinator for the Indigenous Environmental Network, providing logistical support to a grassroots network of Indigenous activists focused on environmental, energy, climate and economic justice issues.
“My love for community organizing flourished while I was at Whitman. When I founded IPECC, I organized my first rally, my first march, and it launched me to my current job.
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Brenna’s Pathway
2013 | Admitted to Whitman
as a recipient of the Robert Jack Williams Music Award and Ho-Chunk Nation Scholarship
2014–2017 | Worked as a Collections and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Assistant
at the Maxey Museum
2014–2017 | Performed in the Whitman Orchestra
2014 | Founded the Indigenous Peoples Education and Culture Club
and served as its first President
Summer 2014 | Completed an Education Internship
with the Mathers Museum of World Culture at Indiana University
Summer 2015 | Completed a Native American Undergraduate Museum Fellowship
at the Minnesota Historical Society
2016–2017 | Received the Lomen-Douglas and Rachel K. Rall scholarships
Spring 2016 | Studied abroad
at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England
2017 | Worked as a Research Assistant
for Lisa Uddin, Associate Professor of Art History and Paul Garrett Fellow
May 2017 | Graduated from Whitman
with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Visual Culture
Summer 2017 | Completed a Higher Education Internship
with the Heritage Preservation (Ho-Chunk Nation)
2017–2018 | Completed the Anne Raye Internship
at the School for Advanced Research, Indian Arts Research Center
2018–2019 | Completed the Lifchez/Stronach Curatorial Internship
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
2018–2023 | Worked as a Consultant Associate for Live Oak Consulting,
a Native-owned museum consulting service
2020–2022 | Worked as a Communications Associate for Climate Access,
a global network of climate and clean energy communicators
2022 | Hired by Indigenous Environmental Network,
where she now works as Lead Coordinator for the Keep It In the Ground program
Upward Pathways. Our alumni’s diverse student experiences and career paths showcase the transformative power of a Whitman education. Find other Upward Pathways.