Shayai Lucero

Shayai Lucero was born and raised on the reservations of the Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna. In 2008, Shayai graduated from the University of New Mexico with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. It took Shayai 16 years from her high school graduation to finish college, but during that time she was Miss Indian World (1997), was the Tribal Liaison for Native Visions Arts and Communications (1998-2001) and was the Executive Assistant for the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the All Indian Pueblo Council (2001-2003). Upon graduating in 2008, Shayai became an entrepreneur with the purchase of a floral shop on the Pueblo of Laguna reservation. She is now the owner and an international award-winning floral designer at Earth & Sky Floral Designs and Gallery. Shayai is a knowledge keeper of the traditional Pueblo healing methods. She published a book on medicinal plants in 1997. In 2005, she received a Certificate in Traditional Mexican Healing. 

Shayai remains active in her community in the promotion of STEM and Woman/Native American Entrepreneurship and as an ally of the LGBTIQ2S Community. She was selected as a "Changemaker" to attend the United State of Women Summit (2016) hosted by The Obama White House. In 2017, Shayai was nominated to become a TEDxABQ speaker. Her speech/video is available online where she discusses how she incorporates traditional Pueblo teachings into issues of patience and tolerance. Shayai has also advocated for rural and Native American entrepreneurs to US Congressional Leaders and Cabinet Members. She is a Sequoyah Fellow for the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), where she also was given the lifetime appointment of Elders Helper for the AISES Council of Elders. Shayai currently serves on the Board of Directors for both the Changing Woman Initiative and the American Heart Association of New Mexico. Shayai is the partner of Aaron Fry, who is Cherokee and Chickasaw from Oklahoma. They are the parents of Kaweshchima and Maityaitsa.