Education has never been a solitary pursuit for Michelle Tsosie, Ed.D. A proud Chickasaw woman and dedicated advocate for early childhood education, her journey, including earning a doctoral degree, has been deeply shaped by her family, culture and community.
“To me, a first-generation doctoral graduate, this is something that’s a personal achievement but also a collective achievement,” Tsosie said. “I carry a lot of hopes and dreams from my family, from my community. And I carry those into spaces where our Indigenous Native American voices usually aren’t heard.”
A descendant of the Seminole Tribe of Oklahoma and the Mississippi Choctaw, Tsosie has built a career grounded in service and advocacy for First American children and families. Last year, she completed the doctoral program at National University, where she focused her studies on early childhood education with an emphasis on First American culture.
Having more than 25 years of experience in education, she currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Native American Early Education and Care for the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (NMECECD).
Tsosie’s passion for early childhood education grew from years of hands-on experience, beginning with her very first job at the Cheyenne and Arapaho Head Start in Clinton, Oklahoma. She later spent many meaningful years working with children and families at the Seminole Nation Head Start in Konawa, Oklahoma, and the Chickasaw Nation Child Development Center in Ada, Oklahoma. She discovered her purpose and lifelong commitment to early childhood education in these classrooms and communities.
“I think that the defining moment for me was hearing language and culture being spoken into the classroom,” she said, reflecting on what influenced her to pursue a field in culturally grounded childhood education. “What a powerful way for our children to identify themselves.”
Since then, Tsosie has served in various early childhood education positions across the country, including roles as a lead teacher, Head Start supervisor, early childhood specialist and instructional coach, as well as statewide and national positions focused on First American language revitalization and tribal technical assistance.
An Oklahoma native now residing in New Mexico, Tsosie said she has seen developmental progress for First American-focused early childhood education since she began her journey in the field two decades ago. She finds that progress is both long overdue and deeply meaningful.
“It’s an amazing feeling to go into some of these early childhood programs — these tribal programs — and see that these children know their language and who they are,” Tsosie said. “We’re making big moves.”
In her current position with NMECECD, Tsosie works at the intersection of policy, partnerships and sovereignty. She supports New Mexico’s federally recognized tribes by meeting with tribal leaders and informing them of state-funded programs available to them. She listens to First American communities, hears their needs and brings their input back to her team. She appreciates her role for the opportunities it gives her to more actively advocate for First Americans.
“We aren’t just a ‘check the box,’ right?” Tsosie said. “I want to ensure that we are heard, and we are seen in every space we enter.”
New Mexico is the only state in the U.S. to establish a state-level early childhood education and care department dedicated to First Americans, a model Tsosie and her colleagues now share nationwide.
“This is something every state should have,” Tsosie said. “We do a lot of presentations, not only in New Mexico. We go outside of New Mexico to educate and to advocate.”
Her work also addresses ongoing challenges First American communities face, including workforce shortages, transportation constraints, food insecurity, housing deficits and high turnover among early childhood educators.
“One of our main goals right now for the workforce shortage is to, well, develop our early childhood workforce,” Tsosie said. “We have three tribal colleges here in New Mexico that we are working with to create those career pathways.”
Tsosie said the bread and butter of her job, for her, is advocating for First American children. Tying back to her doctoral research, Tsosie can advocate for culturally grounded education systems and language revitalization programs in her position with NMECECD.
“It’s really where the heart of the work is,” Tsosie said. “Our children are our biggest asset. Our leadership and our early education are the most powerful ways we can reflect who we are and where we come from.”
Tsosie emphasized one of the most effective ways to address workforce shortages in First American communities — while also supporting the well-being of First American children — is by investing in First American educators. Through partnerships with tribal colleges in New Mexico, the Native American Early Childhood and Care Department is working collaboratively to establish clear career pathways for First American educators, helping them return to their communities and serve within early childhood education systems.
“Early education is the opportunity to strengthen our community, to pass down our heritage and to ensure that our children enter school — no matter where they go after Head Start or Early Head Start — ready to thrive and carry forward that richness,” Tsosie said.
Tsosie’s doctoral research focused on incorporating First American language and culture into early childhood curriculum, specifically with Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Her findings reinforced what she had witnessed for years throughout her career.
“Indigenous children often enter environments where their languages and their stories and their traditions are marginalized,” Tsosie said. “My research confirmed for me that we need to be culturally grounded in education and that it positively impacts children’s engagement, their self-esteem and their learning outcomes.”
While she has currently taken a pause developing her curriculum to focus on her career at NMECECD, Tsosie plans to revisit it in the coming years. She pictures the curriculum as a national model — one that supports teachers, empowers children to grow up confident in who they are and places emphasis on cultural pluralism.
“I envision it helping the next generation of Indigenous learners grow up with strength and pride in who they are and making sure that it connects to their language and it connects to their culture,” Tsosie said. “I envision it to be something that teachers can just implement seamlessly and effortlessly, and not something that hinders them.”
Tsosie’s dedication to amplifying First American voices is grounded in the strength and influence of her family. She said her late grandmother, Lois Emarthle, instilled in her deep pride for her heritage.
“My grandma taught me the importance of nurturing our language, nurturing who I am, nurturing our culture and honoring it,” she said.
She has many other Chickasaw women in her family she credits for guiding her through life as well.
“My mom, the late Darlene Emarthle, and my aunties — they’re the matriarchs of my family,” Tsosie said. “I tell my daughters, ‘We were raised by strong, amazing Chickasaw, Seminole, Mississippi Choctaw women.’”
Her Chickasaw identity is something she carries with honor.
“I’m a very proud Chickasaw woman. Whenever I present at trainings, I introduce myself in our Chickasaw language,” Tsosie said. “I feel like it shapes my identity as a person and a leader. It grounds me, strengthens me — it gives me perseverance.”
Behind Tsosie’s many professional accomplishments is a deeply personal story of resilience. Three years ago, while writing her dissertation, she experienced the loss of her oldest son. Tsosie said it was the most devastating and defining moment in her life.
“I feel like that was something that was meant to hinder me, but I kept going,” Tsosie said. “I had to keep thinking about the women before me. They’re very strong, very powerful, and if it wasn’t for them I probably wouldn’t be here right now.”
She credits her faith, her ancestors, her husband and her children for giving her the strength to continue her degree path during such a tumultuous time in her life.
“My children that are still with me on this Earth — I have a 24-year-old, a 20-year-old and a 17-year-old — those three are the reason why I kept going,” Tsosie said.
Her children proudly witnessed her defend her dissertation.
“They were like, ‘So, do we call you Dr. Mom now?” Tsosie said, laughing.
Tsosie described being recognized as a strong Chickasaw woman in leadership as both an honor and a big responsibility.
“I carry forward a legacy of the women who came before me,” Tsosie said. “They’ve all paved a way for us to have strength and resilience and have that big dream and big vision. It inspires me to continue to break barriers and mentor the next generation.”
Tsosie said her message to young Chickasaw women is to recognize the power and validity of their dreams and to pursue them vigorously.
“They come from a long line of strong Chickasaw women — leaders, storytellers, protectors and innovators. They have all made space for us to thrive, to continue our ambitions and carry on a legacy,” Tsosie said. “I would tell them to hold on to their purpose, hold on to who they are and to always remember where they came from.”
As Tsosie looks ahead at her career, she remains focused on what has always guided her work — children, culture and community. She wants to finish her curriculum and lobby for it on a national level. She wants to leave a permanent, positive impression on the education system for First American children.
“I’m a firm believer I was put here for a reason — my ultimate goal is to leave a lasting impact for the next generation of Indigenous learners and making sure they’re confident, resilient and proud of who they are,” Tsosie said.