Tamara Guy of the 2025 cohort had a unique opportunity to learn about the effects and impacts of technology. 

As a high school senior, she participated in a program called the Young People’s Race, Power, and Technology Project (YPRPT.) The program is hosted by The TREE Lab, an initiative of Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy. High school students partner with college undergraduates, educators, researchers, and community partners to learn about the positive and negative effects that new technology can have on historically marginalized communities of color. Over the course of six months, students involved with the project were educated on the power of technology, and they created a documentary on how technology affects different oppressed communities.

Tamara and her team focused on Indigenous people and the technology affecting their community. She says, “As we began working on our documentaries in early March, and my group's topic was finalized, I really got to explore the impacts of technology on Indigenous communities specifically which was new to me.” Her research culminated into a documentary called Stolen Land, which guides viewers through the learnings of Indigenous culture and innovation and the impact of technology on Indigenous communities and culture.

Tamara says that though she was not familiar with the YPRPT at first and was unsure about the program’s virtual format, she had an amazing time. “Throughout the six-month process, I was able to reflect on my own experiences with technology as a person of color and ways it impacts me positively as well as negatively on a day to day basis.”

You can view Tamara’s documentary here: https://tree.northwestern.edu/pages/yprpt-film-festival-2021/stolen-land.html