A familiar face to many students in Colorado State University’s ethnic studies department, Lindsey Schneider continues to do work on and off campus through cultivating opportunities and support for local Indigenous communities in a multitude of ways.
Schneider is an Indigenous scholar and associate professor whose experience has fueled her passion toward supporting Native students and those with marginalized identities through her research and the organizations she has created.
From developing the Indigenous studies minor at CSU and serving on the Native American Advisory Council to establishing the Indigenous Science, Arts, Technology and Resilience program, Schneider has not only cultivated a safe environment for her students, but also for the Native community across Fort Collins.
Schneider completed her undergraduate degree at Willamette University before completing her master’s and Ph.D. at the University of California, Riverside. With Schneider’s desire to be closer to mountains and trees, she moved to Idaho to finish her dissertation while simultaneously working in student affairs at the Native American Student Center.
She said her experiences with summer programming and student support within the center allowed her to gain some initial experience in navigating institutions and gaining knowledge about tribal leadership and the best ways to support Native students.
“It’s been really inspiring to be able to work with and mentor some of those students where we have that kind of shared background and be able to share what I have muddled through has been really meaningful.” -Lindsey Schneider, CSU ethnic studies associate professor
Throughout her dissertation research on salmon fishing in the Columbia River, she explored how tribes respond to those environmental changes. During this time, she worked with students who were passionate in fishery and wildlife management.
“I got such a better sense of Native students, and any students with marginalized identities and the kinds of challenges they’re facing, and the extra hurdles that just get smoothed down for other people in ways that they don’t for students of color,” Schneider said. “And I think that really played a big role then, and how I approach pedagogy now.”
Schneider’s current research revolves around settler colonialism and understanding how Indigenous communities have grown alongside significant changes to the land, along with ways to implement adaptations that further strengthen that relationship. She is exploring how to break past Western science and traditional ecological knowledge.
“I’m really interested in where tribes are using new technology and doing unexpected things in ways that are more informed by their relationship with the land, and not necessarily maintaining pure traditional culture that sometimes settlers want us to demonstrate,” Schneider said. “If you want to engage Indigenous knowledge in a respectful way, that means you have to be accountable to the community that holds that knowledge.”
Since being in Colorado, Schneider said she has been wanting to shift some of her research into the parallels between buffalo and salmon restoration and how tribes are collaborating with each other based on those similarities.
“The project I’ve done was kind of looking at the history of how we narrate the idea of buffalo restoration and who gets to be the hero in that story,” Schneider said. “Indigenous people are the reason that we still have buffalo like they were, yet they don’t get the credit for it.”
Working with students who were not as surrounded by Native communities inspired Schneider to guide them by connecting through their shared life experiences.
“It’s been really inspiring to be able to work with and mentor some of those students where we have that kind of shared background, and (to) be able to share what I have muddled through has been really meaningful,” Schneider said.
Jaxen Maynor is a third-year student at CSU with a double major in ethnic studies and restoration ecology and has taken classes with Schneider since their freshman year. They said they have been able to connect with Schneider’s research in various ways and have found value in their own interests through what she delves deeper into.
“Dr. Schneider talks a lot about the environment and climate change and environmental justice and issues with AI related to water use,” Maynor said. “And those things are part of what I think really keeps me engaged … and really connects to me; it shows me how I can interlay my other interest into ethnic studies work really easily.”
Maynor took ETST 234: Introduction to Native American Literature and ETST 342: Queer Indigenous Studies and is currently taking ETST 365: Global Environmental Justice Movements. They noticed how they can engage in deep conversations and truly get their mind to think about unique and inclusive perspectives within Schneider’s safe classroom environment.
“She’s the first professor that I’ve had who identifies in similar ways that I identify and can really relate to,” Maynor said. “She has been teaching me things that I don’t think I would have learned with any other professor.”
Schneider said she appreciates how Indigenous studies classes are very interdisciplinary, so she can encourage her students to question common narratives about the Indigenous community. She also said it warms her heart to see messages and updates from former students, seeing how she has contributed to their futures.
“You hope what you’re doing as a professor is helping make the world a better place, but you don’t always get, like, the direct evidence of that,” Schneider said. “I also have students who I’ve stayed in very close contact with who are in grad school or in jobs. To be able to see them applying what they’ve learned and having that continued mentorship is really special, too.”
When Schneider began working at CSU in 2018, she had conversations with much of the Fort Collins community about the limited resources and cultural support within educational facilities to help meet the needs of the Indigenous youth. She recognized how Native students were marginalized and unable to find belonging.
“We convened a listening session and got some kind of formal input, and then what came out of that was that there needs to be some kind of social cultural support for the students that’s outside of the school,” Schneider said.
This resulted in the establishment of the ISTAR program in 2020, which has grown into a two-week summer camp where kids can develop Indigenous cultural knowledge and engage in various activities. Schneider said she found the growth of the program to be beautiful; hearing stories from parents and kids helped her recognize the significance of the program in Fort Collins.
“I love the times when the students or the parents have said that their kid never feels safe at school, but they want to come (to ISTAR) because they feel safe here,” Schneider said. “Or their kid really struggles to focus, but she doesn’t feel like she needs to take her meds when she’s at ISTAR because she can just be who she is.”
Maynor got involved with ISTAR after hearing about it from Schneider and fellow classmates during their summer course. After trying it out their first summer, they said they fell in love with the community and grew increasingly excited to help the future generations progress in their knowledge and sense of belonging.
One of their favorite memories at ISTAR was when Schneider took a group of mentors and junior mentors around Fort Collins to study and release birds across different areas. Maynor said they enjoy experiencing every aspect of the camp, particularly when they get to be with Schneider and learn more about what she is passionate about.
“Seeing the youth that have been in the program for a long time mature and take on leadership roles in the community, kind of in a similar way, is really beautiful,” Schneider said.
Sushmita Chatterjee is a professor and chair of the department of race, gender and ethnic studies, and said she believes Schneider plays a significant role in the department, having made impactful contributions to CSU’s campus and the community.
“Dr. Schneider is a wonderful colleague who has impressed us all with her inspiring teaching, vision for community engagement and great scholarship,” Chatterjee said. “Dr. Schneider’s work is impactful, wide-ranging and makes all our lives better. I have always been delighted and honored to be her colleague.”
Reach Sananda Chandy at life@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
