Through mentorship, innovative programs, and student advocacy, Matthew Makomenaw creates pathways to help students thrive at Yale.
A lasting impact
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Matthew Makomenaw, director of the Native American Cultural Center (photo by Jude Breidenbach)
A framed photograph of Henry Roe Cloud, the first known Native American graduate of Yale College, hangs near the front door of Yale’s Native American Cultural Center (NACC). Cloud earned his bachelor’s degree in 1910 and his master’s degree in 1912. A member of the Nebraskan Winnebago, or Ho-Chunk (People of the Big Voice), he later became an ordained minister and educational reformer, dedicating his life to promoting the self-identity and well-being of fellow Native Americans.
Henry Roe Cloud represents 116 years of Native American scholars on campus. The Henry Roe Cloud Series on American Indians and Modernity honors him anew in 2028. (Photo by Robert DeSanto.)
Matthew Makomenaw, director of the Native American Cultural Center and assistant dean in Yale College, reflects Cloud’s legacy and that of others as he supports the NACC as a place “dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of Indigenous communities, histories, and contributions, while providing opportunities for all students and community members to engage with and learn from these rich traditions and perspectives.”
Charmayne Allen, associate director of Yale College student activities, co-chair of Indigenous Leaders at Yale (ILY), and a member of the Dine (Navajo) Nation, acknowledges this support. “The NACC serves as a safe and welcoming environment where indigenous community members gather to host events, share experiences, and build lasting bonds,” she said.
Connecting to college access work
Seven years ago, Makomenaw came to Yale after working for the American Indian College Fund, a nonprofit, where he eventually took over the Native Pathways to College grant. There, he and his colleagues created the Native Pathways Guidebook and built a curriculum for a summer bridge program for students.
Many of the art pieces in the NACC were created by Yale alumni and students. The painting on the right is by Mikiala Ng ’24. (Photo by Robert DeSanto.)
“This work, along with programs that comprised my master’s and Ph.D. studies at Michigan State University, helped forge my passion for college access work,” said Makomenaw. “Collaborating with tribal colleges, Native communities, and working with high school guidance counselors made me realize how important it was to provide college-going resources to Native American students in public school.”
Makomenaw was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan. His tribal nations are the Grand Traverse Bay Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians on his father’s side and on his mother’s the Little Traverse Bay Band of Ottawa Indians. His cultural experiences were in the hands of his grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, a big extended family as his mother is one of 12 children. Makomenaw played sports through his youth and into high school, where he was on the football team. After graduating from Michigan State University and spending time working at a ski resort in Colorado, he began to contemplate his career.
This beaded rendition of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” is the work of Jordan Sahly ’24. (Photo by Robert DeSanto.)
Today, Makomenaw supports the students, the alumni, and the broader Yale community with budgeting, program planning, mentoring, crisis management, and collaboration with faculty to align NACC’s work with Yale’s academic mission. He added teaching to his responsibilities in Yale College and leads the Native American Educational Policy course in spring semester.
In previous years, Makomenaw directed Cultural Connections, a Yale summer camp for incoming first-year students. Three years ago, he realized that students who are naturally more reserved or shy find large-group activities too stimulating and off-putting. So, he created the Yale Reserve program, which caters to any student who enjoys “low-key events and time for reflection” as they transition to college life away from home.
Recognition of this work came in March, when he was selected as the 2026 recipient of the Indigenous Peoples Knowledge Community’s Distinguished Service in the Profession Award, presented by Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA).
Supporting students
“The NACC is my home away from home,” said first-year student Ava Hills, a Pacific Islander from the Moluccan tribe. “One event that really speaks to me is the ‘Baking and Bonding’ that we host, where NACC staff will bake and offer a listening ear or friendly conversation on Thursday nights.”
This beaded tribute to Yale football and Handsome Dan is by Zoe Cire ’24 M.F.A. (Photo by Robert DeSanto.)
Yale student Julia Aiona, who is Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) and grew up in Honolulu, Oʻahu, feels similarly. She notes that the transition to Yale during her first year was “very difficult” because her home, Hawaii, was so far away. “The NACC has been my biggest support in helping to ease my transition and keep me connected to my culture while being away,” Aiona added.
In Native American culture, the bear is revered across many tribe families, serving as a powerful guardian and spirit guide. Artist unknown. (Photo by Robert DeSanto.)
Angie Makomenaw, community wellness specialist, health promotion and marketing, Yale College Community Care, co-chair of ILY, and Saginaw Chippewa and Mescalero Apache, understands these sentiments. “My reservation is roughly a 13-hour drive from here, yet when I walk into the NACC, I instantly feel like I’m home on my rez,” she said. “Rarely can you find, on any college campus, a place grounded in building and supporting community. And community is often what we miss the most from home.”
