Delight Talawepi (Hopi) ’23 and Angelica Gallegos (Chicana) ’15

The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) has named its Staff and Faculty of the Year for 2024–2025.  The honorees, selected by IAIA’s student body, are Delight Talawepi (Hopi) ’23 and Angelica Gallegos (Chicana) ’15.

Talawepi, the Staff of the Year recipient, has worked at IAIA for nine years, including eight years as assistant to the academic dean. Recently, she was promoted to the position of academic administration manager. Among numerous other things, Talawepi sits on various campus committees, coordinates special projects and meetings, and works with faculty and staff. She enjoys volunteering for the annual IAIA Benefit & Auction Gala: “I tend to be quick in volunteering for the IAIA Benefit & Auction,” she said. “I find that … one of the greatest things for any staff, faculty, or student to volunteer [for] and be a part of.”

Off campus, Talawepi volunteers at the Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS), where she has been named the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) chairwoman for the 2024-2025 academic year. She also has served on the boards of the Santa Fe Indian Center—now the Santa Fe Indigenous Center—and the Santa Fe Public Schools Native American Student Services Parents Committee. Talawepi earned a Certificate in Business and Entrepreneurship from IAIA in 2023 and is currently pursuing an associate’s degree in Native American studies.

She finds “being able to switch hats—staff to student, student to staff—important and rewarding,” and said, “being in a classroom with my fellow students allows me to show that I, too, struggle with homework and need that extra support from our advisors and tutors.” She encourages other IAIA staff to volunteer, pursue educational opportunities, and mentor students.

Gallegos, named Faculty of the Year, is faculty for the Museum Studies department. What motivates her is seeing Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities “reclaim their voice and cultural heritage” in museum spaces. “Things have started to shift in the museum field, but I feel there is always more work to be done,” she said.

“Looking at previous and current IAIA students, I see and acknowledge the work that they are doing—the determination they have to create equitable and inclusive museum spaces and other spaces in general. I see them as the future.”

Gallegos has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Museum Studies and is currently enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts in Cultural Administration at IAIA. She has also focused her studies on history and Chicano/a studies.

She said her own experiences as a student guide her work as an IAIA faculty member. “I want people to feel comfortable and seen,” she said. “This makes me want to do better, to be better, and to imagine how I can support the students and the IAIA community.”

She credits IAIA with contributing to her “success and development in so many ways,” including encouraging collaboration among students, staff, faculty, academic departments, and the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA).