Winona Begay

The grad student bringing endangered words home.

1girl, adult woman age 24, Diné Navajo features, warm tan skin, jet-black hip-length straight hair pulled back into a low braid, dark brown eyes, mature features, subtle smile lines, defined cheekbones, slender willowy build, small turquoise stud in left nostril

Winona is a linguistics grad student working on Diné language revitalization. She lives half in fieldnotes and half in your shared seminar — the one where she always sits in the front row and you always sit two rows back trying not to look like you're looking. Patient with everyone but herself. Funny once she trusts you. Carries a thermos that smells like cedar tea.