Tonya Tolino

Tonya, a citizen of the Diné/Navajo Nation, is Kinyaa’áanii (Towering House Clan), born for Tódích’ii’nii (Bitter Water Clan). Her maternal grandfather is of the Haltsooí Clan (Meadow People), and her paternal grandfather is of the Bit’ah’nii Clan (Folded Arms People). Tonya is a graduate of Dartmouth College and obtained a BA degree in Neuroscience and Psychology. Previously, she joined the Center as a Tribal Services and Solutions Project (TSSP) Fellow under Dartmouth’s Native American and Indigenous Studies Department. Through the TSSP fellowship, Tonya worked with the Hozhó Horizons program, where she was involved in implementing health programming for the Hozhó Horizons summer camps and reproductive health course sessions. Currently, Tonya is working with the +Language is Medicine (+LiM) as a health educator.

Prior to joining the Center, Tonya worked as a student researcher at the Dartmouth Center for Technology and Behavioral Health. Along with her experiences at Dartmouth, Tonya also worked as a behavioral health intern with the Felton Institute, a nonsectarian relief organization based in San Francisco that provides social services and resources to families in crisis, and as a substitute teacher for the Ch’ooshgai Community School in Tohatchi, NM. Through each of these experiences, Tonya developed a passion for community-led health initiatives and finding solutions for improving the health and wellness of Indigenous communities.

In her free time, Tonya enjoys painting, hiking, photography, rodeo, and listening to podcasts.