Dani Kouyoumdjian

University of Arizona, Ilíiaitchik: Indigenous Correspondents Program (ICP)

Dani Kouyoumdjian is a Tohono O'odham/Ojibwe woman, and calls Cuk Ṣon, Arizona home. She is in the Juris Doctorate/Master of Arts in American Indian Studies program at the University of Arizona. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in Law and American Indian Studies with a Minor in Russian. After successfully completing graduate/law school, she intends to work in tribal law. However, her passion for traditional ecological knowledge, language preservation, and restorative justice are the driving force behind her legal studies.

In the 2024-2025 academic year, Dani was selected as an intern through the Arizona Institute for Resilience's (AIR) Earth Grant program. Her internship site was an Indigenous collective farm called Flowers and Bullets. During her internship, she was able to incorporate community justice, climate resilience, and traditional ecological knowledge into her day-to-day work at the farm. Thanks to the financial support of the American Indian College Fund, Dani was able to continue her meaningful work at Flowers and Bullets during the Summer Semester of 2025.

Outside of her academic pursuits, Dani is a vocal advocate for Dobermans, and other non-human kin. She has volunteered with Desert Harbor Doberman Rescue, a non-profit dedicated to the successful intake, fostering, training, and placement of Dobermans in Arizona. She has been a foster home for the rescue since 2017, and most recently "foster failed" in 2022, with Enzo. He is her constant companion on hikes, study sessions, and road trips--he even has his own Instagram! Dani is a "horse girl," goat wrangler, competitive pool player, cactus gardener, farm hand, and a vampire lore enthusiast.