Crystal Tulley-Cordova, Diné, is a principal hydrologist in the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources – Water Management Branch. She has worked collaboratively with Navajo Nation partners on water-related research since 2013. Her work pre-pandemic focused on protecting and managing water resources in the Navajo Nation; since the start of the pandemic, her work focused on providing more safe water access for Navajo residents has increased. She has a PhD in geology and an interdisciplinary graduate certificate in sustainability from the University of Utah and a Master of Water Resources in hydroscience and Bachelor of Science in earth and planetary sciences from the University of New Mexico. She has served a past Region 3, Junior and National Student Representative, and a student representative on the AISES Board of Directors. At the 2021 AISES National Conference, she received the Professional of the Year Award. 

How do you apply Native practices to help manage your stress?

It's easy to get caught up in work, deadlines, and the endless list of to-dos. I've had to come up with strategies and boundaries, so I could find work-life balance when I was a student and now as a professional. K'é (kinship, family) is an integral part of the Navajo philosophy and lifestyle. For me, I created a priority in my life, and that priority was to my family and also building kinship in the communities that I was in or am in — for example, school organizations, the community I was living in, or the professional networks I am a part of. K'é also has guided my actions. When I would visit someone or do something out of kindness, I would say k'é biniye. This phrase is not fully able to be described in English words, but the one word that is able to briefly describe the English translation is charity.

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