Sonya Abe

Sonya is a citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara (MHA) Tribal Nation. She resides on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota with her family. Sonya obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from Fort Lewis College in Psychology with a minor in Agriculture. Sonya also received a second Bachelor of Science degree from Nueta, Hidatsa, and Sahnish College (NHSC) in Environmental Science. She’s working toward a Master’s degree in Horticulture from North Dakota State University (NDSU), where she has two semesters left until graduation. Sonya is a Tribal Health Liaison for the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (ND HHS) for the past 2 years. In this role, she works with Tribal people within Tribal Nations as well as Tribal members in the surrounding urban areas. The main purpose of this position is to connect Tribal members to services within ND DHHS, at the county level, and within Tribal Nations; some examples of these services include State programs, non-profit organizations, and community partnerships. Sonya connects the Tribal Nations to these services to help increase the health and wellbeing of all Native Americans that reside within North Dakota. Before joining the ND HHS, Sonya worked with Quality Care and Assurance at Elbowoods Memorial Health Center (EMHC) in New Town, North Dakota for 5.5 years.