Shelby Ross

Shelby Ross is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe born and was raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. Growing up, Shelby always had a passion to help make her reservation a better place for future generations. While attaining her B.S. from the local tribal college on the reservation, Oglala Lakota College, she found interest in environmental science and seeks to bridge the traditional knowledge of the natural surrounding her ancestors embodied with modern-day science. Shelby has earned a M.S. degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from Oregon’s Health and Science University where she developed interest in how environmental issues are affecting human health on her home reservation. The Tribal Climate Leaders Program at the University of Colorado Boulder was a perfect opportunity for Shelby to conduct climate change and health research for the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Shelby is currently a PhD student within the Department of Geography at CU Boulder.