Kishaya Delaney is a second-year MPP student at Harvard Kennedy School. She was accepted into the Growth Lab’s 2026 Summer Internship Program and contributed to the Four Corners project.
Why did you apply to the Growth Lab Summer Internship?
I came to HKS after working as a lawyer in Australia, and my first year gave me skills I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to use in practice. I sought a summer internship where I could take those tools out of the classroom and test them against an actual problem.
As a proud Indigenous Wiradjuri woman, much of my career has focused on enhancing the participation of Indigenous people in legal, political, and economic systems in Australia, so the opportunity to work with the Navajo Nation made it a clear priority for me. It was a chance to see how a tribal government works from the inside, which was something I was really interested in. I had also never worked directly within a government department before. I’d always been on the periphery, and I wanted to see what it looked like from within.
What did you work on?
My primary research focus was completing a preliminary tourism diagnostic for the Navajo Nation. I spent my first weeks learning about the Nation itself: its government structures, its major visitor sites, and how decisions move through Navajo processes. After that, my work centered on stakeholder engagement. I interviewed tour operators and others connected to the sector and reviewed existing reports and available materials to begin applying the Growth Lab’s diagnostic framework. This is the opening stage of a twelve-month engagement, so the goal was to lay the groundwork to inform future work on the project. I also worked with a group of Navajo college interns who researched other parts of the project.
In what ways were you challenged?
Research within a government that spans multiple states and counties makes many routine tasks difficult. The data limitations changed the direction of the work, as I had to prioritize relationship-building and qualitative research. The second challenge was establishing trust. Being there in person mattered a lot, but it was difficult given the size of the Navajo Nation, so communication styles were important when I had to rely on a phone call. I was also fortunate to have colleagues in the Division of Economic Development who helped me understand cultural norms and communication styles, which allowed me to understand the insights I’d collected in a different way.
What was your most exciting/surprising experience?
The Navajo Nation Economic Summit, hosted by the Division of Economic Development at Twin Arrows Resort, was such a highlight for me. It was a fast, substantive introduction to how the Nation approaches economic development, and it put me in a room with people I wouldn’t have met otherwise, including business owners and government officials from across the nation, such as President Buu Nygren.
The Summit also took me to a different part of the Nation, where I experienced the strength of Navajo culture, song, and collaboration. At one point, I watched as many people rolled the Little Sister Rug (a massive, historic traditional Navajo rug used as a backdrop during the summit) with such respect and care that it instantly reminded me of the unrolling of the Uluru Statement from the Heart in Australia. It was a poignant moment when I reflected on the similarities between our cultures, despite the many differences.
What advice would you give future Growth Lab interns?
Don’t hold too tightly to your expectations of what the project will be. Stay resilient and adaptive as things shift, because they will. A summer isn’t long, but it’s long enough to contribute something meaningful, especially when your work sits inside a longer engagement. Make the most of it and contribute wherever you can.
What’s next for you?
I’m heading into my second and final year of the MPP. I’m looking forward to applying what I learned this summer and taking on opportunities that build on the skills I learned through my internship with the Navajo Nation.
