Brave Heart Fellowship
Champions for Change
CA Native Youth Collective
Remembering Our Sisters
Building Communities of Hope
Creative Native
Democracy is Indigenous
Ian Teller is Diné (Navajo) and from Tsaile, Arizona, a beautiful community on the Navajo Nation. He is a 2024 Champion for Change, UNITY 25 Under 25 Ambassador and a Native advocate, particularly for Indigenous voting rights and rural Native issues.
A graduate of the University of Southern California, Ian earned a Master of Science degree in Music Industry. His passion for the entertainment industry is rooted in his desire to increase Indigenous representation and reclaim Indigenous narratives. In that capacity, he has worked and participated in programs with leading industry companies, such as Roc Nation and Illuminative. Ian’s background in entertainment and engagement on social media has also created a platform of over 30,000 followers across networks where he shares politically related content aiming to increase Indigenous political awareness.
Currently, Ian is a Teaching Assistant at Diné College and continues to build out WNV with Native youth leaders from across the nation. Additionally, with his newfound passion for civic engagement and public policy, Ian is preparing to apply for law school where he hopes to turn his advocacy into actionable solutions that will leave a lasting impact for Indigenous communities everywhere.
About Ian’s Democracy is Indigenous Project
In September 2024, Ian founded the When Natives Vote (WNV) Youth Initiative, a grassroots Indigenous-based effort to increase Native voter participation and awareness, especially in the Navajo Nation. The project, Ian’s first organized voting effort, resulted in high turnout and excitement in participating in the 2024 elections.
With support from CNAY’s Democracy is Indigenous initiative, Protect the Sacred and AZ Native Vote, Ian created content at engagement events that reached over 4 million people. Ian directly reached 200 people, registered 30 people to vote and received 232k likes on Get Out the Native Vote’s highest performing TikTok.
Ian’s activism led to meeting notable leaders, including several Navajo Nation council members, Deb Halaand, Mark Ruffalo and both Democratic nominees for United States President and Vice President, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. His work also made him an official Harris for President Creator Fellow, which allowed him to use his platform to engage with voters to support Kamala Harris in her candidacy for President.
