Daeliah Topaha is Diné (Navajo) from Naat’áanii Nééz (Shiprock), New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation. She is born to Naakai Diné’é (Mexican People Clan) and born for Kiinyaa’áanii (Towering House Clan). Growing up with a mixture of life on and off the reservation has shown her many perspectives on issues affecting both Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. The Navajo Nation is a sovereign nation within the United States, which has helped Daeliah understand how borders, jurisdiction, and policies can shape people’s everyday lives. This perspective has helped her recognize shared experiences across communities navigating borders, identity, and access to resources.

Through her own experiences and by witnessing the experiences of others, Daeliah has made it her goal to advocate for marginalized communities that face stigma, inequality, and harm because of misunderstanding, lack of awareness, and other systemic barriers. She believes there is greater power when communities come together as allies to create change, educate others, and build more understanding.

One of Daeliah’s grandfathers was a Navajo Code Talker, while another was a Navajo uranium miner, in an industry that exploited Diné people and their land during the Cold War. Their experiences reflect both the strength of Diné people and the injustice they have faced. Her family’s history has made it important to Daeliah to educate others about issues affecting her community and to support other communities as an ally. It has inspired her to learn more about these histories and share them with others, especially because so much of this history is still unknown or suppressed.

Daeliah is pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work at the University of Texas at El Paso. She is also in the program’s Accelerated Pathway Program, which allows her to take graduate-level courses and brings her closer to having a greater scope of practice in her advocacy goals. She is minoring in Native American and Indigenous Studies and is a Loretto Justice Fellow serving at Abara. Daeliah is also a Registered Behavior Technician with experience providing Applied Behavior Analysis therapy to children with autism. In her free time, she enjoys camping, attending concerts, spending time with family and fur babies, and watching movies.