Gunnar F. Barnes, A.A. (he/they) resides in Southern Tiwa lands. He is a senior at the University of New Mexico (UNM), Albuquerque, majoring in American Studies. American Studies centers stories from communities across cultures from the perspective of the people through poetry, oral histories, film, and other media. He currently works at the Center for Southwest Research digitizing Indigenous stories and multimedia collections throughout the region. He is also a research assistant for Dr. Francisco J. Galarte on how LGBT community has been created in Albuquerque during the 1970’s to early 2000’s. Gunnar is honored to be a Native American Scholars Initiative (NASI) undergraduate summer intern with the American Philosophical Society (APS). The NASI 2022 summer internship provides an important opportunity to learn and implement APS protocols to archive Native American materials and develop his honors thesis research project. Additionally, to build relationships with scholars, archivists, and researchers. Gunnar is passionate about supporting libraries to be welcoming safer places for people experiencing marginalization to connect with and build community. Gunnar was an Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Fellow at UNM for the Summer of 2021. In his free time, he enjoys hiking the Sandia Mountains, building Star Wars Legos sets, and spending time with chosen family who love him for who he is.
