Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi, PhD alumna in Rhetoric and Writing, won the Zia Award which honors New Mexico residents with a UNM degree who have distinguished themselves in any one or more of the following categories – philanthropic endeavors, public office, service to the University, community, and volunteer activities, and/or business professional fields, or educational fields.
Dr. Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi is the Indigenous Affairs Editor at High Country News and teaches English in the Writer’s Studio within the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts at Arizona State University. She is an award-winning Diné journalist and distinguished scholar who has reported for The Navajo Times, Sports Illustrated, and The New York Times, among others.n 2022, she was inducted into the inaugural class of the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame for sports writing. She also serves as president of the Indigenous Journalists Association board of directors. She is from T’iis Nazbas Arizona, on the Navajo Nation.
