For Janessa Bowekaty-Harker, multiple interests blended into a strong sense of purpose when she came across a job opening at the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project. It showed her that those interests didn’t exist alone in separate silos; rather, they braided together to connect her to the intricate web of her own community.
Born and raised in Zuni, Janessa lived in the pueblo until second grade. Her father, who served in the U.S. Army, moved the family to Fort Hood, and she finished elementary school in Killeen, Texas.
“After fifth grade, my parents decided to move back to Zuni,” she says. “They wanted me and my brother to grow up in our culture and community.”
Janessa started sixth grade in Zuni, a transition that she said was difficult both socially and mentally.
“It was a huge change, to go from being the only Native girl to being the only outsider in my home community,” she reflects with a smile.
Janessa found her way, graduating from Zuni High School in 2016 and going on to New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Although she sought to earn a degree in social work, financial constraints prevented her from continuing, and she returned home.
Determined to earn her bachelor’s degree, she enrolled at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, in 2019 to study secondary education. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“I went home again, and when I returned to Durango, it was to a more remote situation with isolated housing,” Janessa remembers. “My boyfriend, who is now my husband, and I switched locations and moved to Albuquerque. A few months later I enrolled at the University of New Mexico.”
Janessa earned her bachelor’s degree in Native American studies with a concentration in learning in Indigenous communities, plus a minor in English. A master’s degree in Native American studies followed in 2023.
She says she learned a lot through her college experiences, and not just in her degree programs. Navigating scholarships and financial aid became an education in itself.
“The Zuni Tribal Scholarship and other scholarships were a great help,” she says. “I learned how to be organized, how to find funding sources and how to apply. And that financial support improved my performance as a student, because I could focus on my work instead of worrying about the money.”
She emphasizes that financial support is critical for Native students, who often have limited resources. Financial aid increases access to educational opportunities — and increases student success, in large part due to reducing stress.
As Janessa pursued her post-secondary education, she also became acquainted and involved with ZYEP. She became a Summer Camp counselor for the first time in 2016, and she loved it so much, she returned in 2017-2019.
She also served as a food sovereignty intern, specializing in nutrition. She worked as an administrative assistant as well, and she signed up to be a community coach in ZYEP’s annual Flag Football League.
“ZYEP was a great resource for me,” she says. “With their help, I started supporting myself. As a young person, it was important to learn how to manage money and prioritize needs.”
Janessa also notes that ZYEP is a strengths-based organization that makes room for people with a wide variety of interests, skills and levels of experience. This creates a welcoming, supportive environment for youth program participants and young adult leaders alike.
“They really embrace different personalities, and everyone has a significant role,” she explains. “Kids learn that they all have a place in our community, here in our home. At ZYEP, they can have fun and flourish together.”
Her ZYEP journey took a big leap forward when Executive Director Tahlia Natachu-Eriacho reached out to let her know they were searching for a new youth development coordinator, as longtime coordinator Kiara “Kiki” Zunie was leaving to pursue her master’s degree. Janessa’s name had come up in conversation.
“I was surprised and honored that my name was mentioned, and that someone believed I had the ability to take on this role,” she says. “Moving into this position feels natural, like the timing is significant for me.”
In addition to her previous roles at the youth project, Janessa also held other positions in the community, working in food service and customer service. She says these experiences confirmed for her that ZYEP is unique.
She uses Summer Camp 2026 as an example. As this year’s counselors prepare to start training, she says she’s seeing the names of young people who were campers 10 years ago when she served as a counselor herself.
“It’s amazing to see how much they’ve grown, and to see this great cycle play out,” she explains. “It truly is a circle.”
Janessa’s first day at ZYEP was April 27. Since then she has been shadowing teammates, tackling more daily tasks and becoming more familiar with current programs.
“I am thankful that Kiki was there to help, show me the ropes and provide guidance,” she says. “I really commend her and Rani Yamutewa, our youth development leader, for helping me during the transition.”
Meanwhile, Janessa’s other roles keep her quite busy. She’s the mother of a 15-month-old son, and she’s an active artist and creator, pursuing a dizzying number of hobbies with enthusiasm and energy.
“I love my hobbies,” she says, laughing. “I love challenging myself and learning new things. It provides balance in my life.
“Watercolor and acrylic paints are my favorite mediums, and I explore the intersection of traditional design and contemporary ideas. I enjoy playing with that while also, as a female Zuni artist, remaining mindful of honoring cultural boundaries around subject matter.”
She says she recently started beading and has produced several little lizards and frogs. She likes stitching as well, creating little food items made of felt.
“I love creating developmentally appropriate toys for my son,” she explains. “The little food toys help with building language and communicating what he wants, and it’s heartwarming to see him enjoying my art in his own way.”
Janessa’s late paternal grandmother taught a home economics class for elementary school students. Through stitching, Janessa says she feels closer to her as she continues the tradition of passing along skills and knowledge to the next generation.
Baking has proven to be yet another creative outlet. Janessa says she’s working on building new family traditions by creating her siblings’ birthday cakes, experimenting with flavors, styles, piping and making homemade whipped cream.
She has two brothers and a younger sister. Her sister, 7, is excited to start Summer Camp in July, while her younger brother, 14, is thinking he’d like to be a counselor when he’s old enough; he participated in Summer Camp as a younger child and also has been involved in the ZYEP Soccer League and its in-school programming.
Her other brother, the one with whom she moved home from Texas, passed away in 2025 at age 21. He, too, had been involved with ZYEP, and she says that brings her comfort.
“I see bits and pieces of him here,” she says softly.
With Summer Camp preparations now in full swing, Janessa says she’s looking forward to seeing all the behind-the-scenes preparations and systems she didn’t see as a counselor. She’s working closely with Operations Manager Josh Kudrna and Youth Development Leader Rani Yamutewa this year, and next year, she says she’ll hit the ground running.
“I’m so proud of ZYEP,” she reflects. “The way they’ve built onto the original Summer Camp that started in 2009 — there are so many things here that didn’t exist when I was a counselor.
“And as I get more deeply involved, I see how Native American studies, social work and education all come together in this place. They’re not separate pieces. They’re all part of helping our community live and breathe.”