02/08/2026
SWNAF Scholarship Presentation in Seattle, WA
Sarah Chatter/Navajo/MPH/U Washington
Sarah is a multi-year SWNAF Scholarship Awardee
Thank you to my fellow Peace Corps Volunteer Melissa for the presentation!
Sarah Chatter (she/her) is Navajo of the Towering House clan, born for the Many Goats clan. Her maternal grandfather is Start of the Red Streak people clan and her paternal grandfather is Salt clan. Sarah is originally from Arizona on the Navajo Reservation, but currently resides in Seattle, Washington where she is a first year graduate student, pursuing a Master of Public Health at the University of Washington in the Community Oriented Public Health Practice (COPHP) program.
Sarah previously graduated from Northern Arizona University (NAU) in 2023, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Public Health with minors in Applied Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Health Studies. As a student, she served as the 2022 NAU Indigenous Co-Ambassador, advocating for student-led initiatives including tuition waivers for Native American students and an Indigenous Peoples Living and Learning Community. She also worked at the Office of Indigenous Student Success as a Peer Mentor and as a student research assistant with the Center for Health Equity Research in partnership with Public Health AmeriCorps.
After graduation, Sarah completed a 2-year fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Healthy Tribes program and the Division for Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. As a fellow, Sarah helped manage three federal cooperative agreements: Tribal Practices for Wellness in Indian Country (TPWIC), Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country (GHWIC), and Tribal Epidemiology Centers Public Health Infrastructure (TECPHI) and provided cultural humility trainings for the Division, orienting staff to working with Tribal nations to honor federal treaties and advance Tribal public health.
In addition to her studies at the University of Washington, Sarah works at the City of Seattle’s Office of Sustainability and Environment as a Climate Justice Intern. Sarah works to integrate Tribal perspectives and ensure Indigenous voices are heard and respected in the city’s Climate Justice plans. She also currently serves as the Southwest Representative for the Intertribal Agriculture Council’s Native Youth Advisory Council, and was recently selected to participate in the Native Action Network’s Young Native Women’s Leadership Academy.
Post graduation, Sarah hopes to return home to the Navajo reservation and implement community driven, culturally grounded, and intergenerational Public Health programs to advance health equity in her community. Outside of work and school, Sarah enjoys spending time back home on the reservation herding sheep, reading a good book, working with plant medicines, drinking coffee, hiking, running, and playing basketball.
