Cherie is Diné and is originally from Crownpoint, NM. She is a 3rd year Ph.D. student in the department of civil, construction and environmental engineering at the University of New Mexico under the mentorship of Dr. Jose M. Cerrato. Cherie works as a research assistant and has a joint appointment with the UNM Native American Environmental Health Equity Research Center, which is one of five NIH Centers of Excellence on Environmental Health Disparities Research in the United States. Her research focuses on understanding metals mobility and reactivity from abandoned mine wastes located near tribal communities.