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Jessica Saniguq Ullrich

Assistant Professor

Washington State University

Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow Alumni 2022 Cohort 6

Spokane, Washington

Jessica Saniġaq Ullrich is an Inupiaq scholar, a tribal citizen of Nome Eskimo Community, a descendant of the Native Village of Wales and proud mother of 2 teenage daughters. Jessica worked in the Alaska child welfare system as a family services worker, ICWA Specialist, developed and supervised the first Alaska Native Family Services unit in Alaska, and became a child welfare trainer before obtaining her PhD in Social Welfare. Jessica’s passion and scholarship has centered on different aspects of an Indigenous Connectedness Framework for child and collective wellbeing.  As an Assistant Professor at Washington State University, and as a research consultant through Indigenous Connectedness Consulting, she focuses on the promotion of connectedness, wellbeing, relational healing, and social and environmental justice. Jessica is currently engaged in research that involves digital storytelling with Alaska Native youth, culturally based intervention development, Tribal child welfare prevention, youth engagement for systems change, language revitalization, and environmental connectedness for Inupiaq wellbeing. Storytelling and story-listening is central to her work.

Stories Featuring Jessica Saniguq Ullrich
February 14, 2024
2023 Ascend Impact & Inspiration Report
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May 8, 2023
Anchorage Daily News: The Deep Value of Language in Preserving our Culture
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August 8, 2022
Aspen Institute Announces 2022 Ascend Fellows
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Ascend Fellows are a community of values-driven leaders who share an unwavering commitment to our shared goal of intergenerational family prosperity and well-being.