Reclaiming Land, Food and Story: Tommey Jodie, ’26, Named SBS Outstanding Senior

Tommey Jodie, who is graduating with majors in food studies and creative writing, as well as nutrition and food systems in the College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences, is the recipient of the SBS Outstanding Senior Award for spring 2026. The award is given to a graduating senior from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences with a record of outstanding achievement, a history of active citizenship on campus and/or in the community, and a demonstrated capacity for leadership.

"Tommey’s scholarly accomplishments are exceptional for an undergraduate. She is an engaged and impactful presence within the university community, with a deep and sustained commitment to community engagement,” wrote Laurel Bellante, associate professor of practice in the School of Geography, Development and Environment. “She approaches her work with humility, responsibility, and a clear sense of purpose grounded in service to Indigenous communities and is a natural and highly effective leader whose work bridges scholarship, storytelling, and community advocacy.”

Tommey also credits Bellante’s mentorship as central to her experience.

“Coming to Tucson from a community-oriented Diné upbringing was a huge transition for me, and in many ways, Dr. Bellante helped make this university feel inhabitable and welcoming,” Tommey said. “She approached me with an incredible amount of care and belief in who I could become.”

Receiving the award, Tommey said, reflects not only her own work, but the people and community who supported her along the way.

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“I worked very hard throughout my undergraduate years, and to be recognized for it is incredibly meaningful,” she said. “I feel very small and very big at the same time, and above all else, incredibly grateful.”

Tommey’s academic work focuses on Indigenous food sovereignty and the restoration of traditional ecological knowledge to help improve Native health outcomes. 

Her senior thesis, Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Storytelling: Reclaiming Cultural Food Systems through Relational Knowledge, takes an interdisciplinary approach, integrating food studies, public health, and the humanities. She is co-author of two published book chapters, one on food justice storytelling (MIT Press) and another, for which she is lead author, examining the social determinants of health for Indigenous peoples (University of Toronto Press).

Susan Briante, professor in the Department of English, wrote that “Tommey is one of the most talented undergraduate poets I have worked with in nearly twenty years of teaching. Not only is she an amazingly original and thoughtful poet, but she is a joy to have in the classroom. Through her work as an editor of Indigenous poetry anthologies and zines, she contributes to the broader landscape of contemporary American literature.”

Her commitment to campus and community engagement is just as strong as her academic work. Tommey has contributed to research, mentorship, and programming that connect students and community members to food systems initiatives. Through the Pima County Food Alliance, she also supported youth engagement with the regional food policy council, helping foster civic participation and collaborative problem-solving.

Tommey’s work extends beyond campus into the communities she serves. 

Through the Summer Research Enhancement Program, she returned to her home community of Teesto, Arizona, where she conducted public health research exploring how local food initiatives can support cultural revitalization and improve health outcomes. 

In Tucson, she has contributed to regional food systems efforts through the Pima County Food Alliance and supported Native seed sovereignty initiatives with Native Seeds/SEARCH. Her Food Justice Storytelling portfolio, highlighting Indigenous relationships to land and food, was presented at the Agriculture and Human Values Conference, where it resonated with both scholars and practitioners.

“All the work I do is to help reclaim my people’s land and traditional foodways,” Tommey said. “I feel immense responsibility to reciprocate the same love and protection toward future generations that my ancestors did for me.”

Building on these efforts, Tommey’s leadership is rooted in both creativity and community. She edited and published the anthology Beauty All Around Us: Poetry and Prose on Indigenous Food Sovereignty, Land and Becoming, featuring 15 Indigenous youth writers, and secured grant funding to lead the creation of a climate justice zine that elevates Indigenous perspectives.

The project, she said, was especially meaningful because it created space for Indigenous youth voices “to exist fully and honestly, without flattening the complexity of our relationships to community, culture and food.”

For Tommey, that work is only just beginning. 

This summer, she will continue learning, traveling, and engaging in storytelling through several Indigenous food sovereignty and community-based programs, including the Indigenous Food Sovereignty Emerging Leaders Program and the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative Youth Summit. She will also travel to Iceland and Southeast Greenland after winning Storyfest, a national environmental storytelling competition.

After the summer, she plans to take a gap year to spend time at home and continue work grounded in community and storytelling as she considers her next steps, including graduate school. 

“I’m looking forward to slowing down a little,” Tommey said, “reading, cheering my family on at rodeos, and learning as much as I can before the next chapter begins.”

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