Grandmother Abby Arquero, of the Cochiti/Kewa Tribal Nations, walks a path of service to her people through education, language, and cultural preservation. A grandmother, mother, and respected elder from Cochiti Pueblo, she dedicated 40 years to teaching and school leadership, always centering the Indigenous identity, culture, and traditions of her students.

Now retired from formal education, she serves as a Teacher Mentor for the University of Idaho’s IKEEP Program, guiding Indigenous educators across the country. In her home community, she works with the Keres Children’s Learning Center to revitalize the Keres language, mentoring young mothers and children in the teachings of their ancestors.

Her life is a testament to the power of passing knowledge forward — planting seeds of language, culture, and pride in the hearts of the next generation so that the garden of her people’s traditions will flourish for centuries to come.