Link to Audio Podcast: https://www.bravevoices.fieldscenter.princeton.edu/native-indigenous-voices

Interview with Ammon Love '26

Hosted by Gabby Chavarria ‘26

Gabby Chavarria '26 (00:05)

So we're going to start with introductions. Name, class year, and concentration. Feel free to also share your tribal affiliation, nation or clan, or the tribal community you come from. And if you want to share this in your own Native or Indigenous language, then please do so.

Ammon Love '26 (00:18)

Okay, so my name is Ammon Love. Class of 2026. Princeton School of Public International Affairs and, I'm a member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, federally recognized tribe, as well as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. [Introduction in Native and/or Indigenous language]. We are called Lenape because that's, in our Native language, that's what we refer to ourselves as. The Delaware tribe was the name that came from English settlers who called us that because we lived by the Delaware River.

Gabby Chavarria '26 (00:49)

So our first section is about community and environment. What was your initial impression of Princeton and how does Princeton's environment compare to the environment you were raised or grew up in?

Ammon Love '26 (0:59)

Yeah. I almost can't think of a more different place than Princeton from where I grew up. And I think there's a lot of Native students that feel this way. But I also think I grew up in a very rural place. So most rural kids who grew up like I did can also relate. The northeast culture is very cold, I would say, compared to where I grew up, where it's more friendly. People are just, tend to be kinder or at least seem to be kinder. I shouldn't say that they're not kind. There's very kind people here. But the culture is just vastly different. Princeton as an institution is also very structured and rigid in a way that I just, it's difficult for most students, I think. But if you come from a rural background or a Native background. Yeah. It's a very foreign place, I would say.

Gabby Chavarria '26 (01:46)

What was your experience like your first year here at Princeton, and how did you adjust to the transition?

Ammon Love '26 (01:53)

So I'm also a transfer student. So, I came from community college before I came here. That, that was a really difficult change. Like the grading structure by itself is very different from Princeton. It was hard. It was very, very difficult. You feel very alone, unfortunately, facing kind of all the institutional pressures to choose your major or choose your classes, you know, in this foreign structure and in which you have to kind of compete, you're all kind of set up to compete with one another. I wouldn't say that's foreign to me, but there's definitely an emphasis on that here, more so than where I grew up. So I think all of those things combined to be a very, difficult atmosphere for most kids. I'm a little older, so I would say I leaned a little bit more on my family.

I have a wife. I have a daughter. And, we're expecting a son, actually, in two weeks.

Gabby Chavarria '26 (02:39)

Aww, that’s so great.

Ammon Love '26 (02:41)

So, very different kind of structure than most students here. I've leaned on them, right? And I lean on my family a lot. I went back home and visited, more often than I expected to. Just because, I needed that time away from the Orange Bubble to restructure myself and kind of my identity and, like, my path forward, let's say, because Princeton kind of beats it out of you, right? Like, no matter what idea you had coming in, I think collectively, every student has had to change something about their path. And, that's just part of the process. And I'm actually now, like looking back, I'm grateful for that because I had a lot of different opportunities. I was interested in, and it has really solidified the top 2 or 3 that I really want to spend my life focusing on because, I was kind of forced to consider that through all the hardship of Princeton, like from the curriculum to the, student body, like choosing what types of people you want to be with, what communities you want to engage with, like what profession you see yourself engaging in the rest of your life. So I would say I leaned on family. I found my own communities here. And, I kind of took time to reflect on a lot of, like, the hardships I faced. And I think that has helped solidify me against it.

Gabby Chavarria '26 (03:53)

So what was your relationship like with your family and your tribal or Indigenous community since leaving home, and has Princeton changed that?

Ammon Love '26 (04:01)

So I'm in a unique position somewhat here because this is actually my, the homeland of my tribe. Right. And so, there's a lot more politics involved with that because of it. Right? So I've actually had a lot more interaction with my tribe, I would say, than probably most Native students who, you know, if you grew up in, like a rural Arizona or Utah, you know, you're probably not going to interact with your tribe very much here unless like the Anthropology department invites speakers, which they do. And I think that's really cool. I think they've tried in recent years to like, do a lot of outreach, which I think is awesome, but I've had a lot of interaction. I've been very blessed in that way, to have a lot of interaction with my tribe. And, we're actually starting up an official research project with the History department, that I get to be a part of. And, my tribe is very excited about hesitant about to write for various reasons. Like I said, there's a lot of politics involved, a lot of history with Princeton, unfortunately, that hasn't been too kind, but we're hopeful for the future that, you know, a lot of that will be worked out through these new types of partnerships. And, I think as far as, like my relationship with them, I actually think it's deepened my relationship with my tribe more so now coming here and, I'm actually really grateful to Elizabeth Ellis and a few other Native professors and individuals within the administration who have really pushed to make that relationship stronger. And so, yeah.

Gabby Chavarria '26 (05:17)

I really love that we're getting this perspective because we've been talking about, a lot about like, land acknowledgment and like how we kind of discuss Lenni Lenape people. And it's really great to like, hear how you're, like, intervening, I guess. So.

Ammon Love '26 (05:33)

I'm an optimist by nature, too, so you have to be careful. You got to take that with a grain of salt, right? Like there's plenty of pessimism in the community and rightfully so. But, but I also think I'd like to think we can move beyond it. We can, as long as people are willing to engage, which it sounds like Princeton has been very willing to do so far. I'm hopeful for the future, for sure.

Gabby Chavarria '26 (05:52)

So, do you feel that you found a community or a home away from home at Princeton? And if so, what was the first time you felt this way?

Ammon Love '26 (06:00)

Yeah. So again, my, my circumstance is a little unique. I already had a home away from home, to some degree. But, I'm a transfer student, so I'm part of the transfer community as well. A lot of the older students, with kids, you know, we, we have formed our own little community. The Native students, obviously, we have our own communities in there. I would say there's, like, I work in the McGraw center for the Digital Learning Lab, and I'm friends with a lot of the COS students as well, because, my past career was actually in digital marketing. So we talked about video games and those communities. And so I feel like I've found a lot of different communities that I can relate to. It took some time, but, the first time I felt that. Oh, gosh, it probably wasn't even until my end of my sophomore year. It took some time to really find those people.

Gabby Chavarria '26 (06:46)

Are there any moments when being Native or Indigenous made you feel marginalized from the greater Princeton community? And if so, could you describe this moment?

Ammon Love '26 (06:54)

Moments where I felt marginalized…So again, I, I am white presenting. Right. So I kind of have the fortune of not having to deal with a lot of that. But I would also say there's plenty of moments where you feel alienated here. Right? And I can't think of like a specific event where someone's mistreated me. I haven’t had that misfortune, and I'm grateful for that. But as a group like you certainly feel forgotten, right. And I think talking to a lot of other Native students, they would agree with that, is you don't really feel like you're a priority. You don't really feel like you're important if your community needs something or your friends, it's some extra support. I think, there could be more down there to potentially include, people, which, you know, we're all trying. I think that's fair to say, but I wouldn't say I've been marginalized as a person. But my heart certainly goes out to the few who have. I just, I think it's important to invest time into projects like these where people can see how diverse the Native community actually is. We're mixes of a lot of different things. If you're a part of a federally recognized tribe. Many kids are actually members of multiple tribes, right? Like myself. And so, it's just, it's one of those things where the more people understand and hear the voice of Native students, I think the better it will be for the community as a whole understand what we're really like.

Gabby Chavarria '26 (08:15)

So we're going to move on to our identity section. I think you've touched on this a little bit, but has being at Princeton changed the way you perceive yourself as Native or Indigenous?

Ammon Love '26 (08:24)

Yeah, I would say it's only solidified my desire to work with my tribe, who I am as a person, being a member of that tribe. I think some resistance is actually healthy for us as people. In the moment, it doesn't feel that way. Right? It's hard. And, can feel unjust in many cases, and I, I, I think it's important to pursue where injustice happens, and, and make it right. But I also think from a personal growth standpoint, it can be good if you can get through those moments and you can reframe it as making you stronger in the face of that resistance. And so, I think with what my tribe has faced and, several of the Lenape communities have faced, with some of the past relationships of Princeton have actually brought to light a lot of things that we wouldn't have been able to talk about. You know, 10 years ago, 20 years ago. That only comes from a place of resistance, unfortunately. Right. And so you can reframe it that way, that it can be useful for your community. And so I think it's, in that sense personally, it's only solidified my life and my life direction.

Gabby Chavarria '26 (09:29)

So our next section is about campus life. Do you believe that your Native or Indigenous identity and culture are represented at Princeton? And if so, in what ways?

Ammon Love '26 (09:37)

No, no, I, I would laugh if somebody said yes. Has somebody anybody said yes to that?

Gabby Chavarria '26 (09:44)

The answers that I remember is that they're kind of the representation. And not really any other aspect.

Ammon Love '26 (09:50)

I think there's just too few of us. Right. And that's, that's not a bad thing per se. I would love to see more Native students. Obviously. That would be nice. Other schools have much stronger Native coalitions of students, and professors. Right. Like it's just a stronger network than us. That being said, like there's, there's some cool aspects to it being small too, right? Like, I get to work in a position that's like, for example, on this history project that, you know, if there were ten other Lenape students, it would be awesome. But I also feel like I'm getting some special attention that I probably wouldn't get. I don't know if I want to put that in there or not, but I think, you know, there's unique opportunities for leadership. And I think that's what I'm trying to say. When you're the only representative there from your tribe, there's a responsibility for you to stand up and speak. And I think, you know, there's some value in that. Whether I wanted it or not, it was kind of thrust upon me, it feels like. I don't feel like I'm an ideal voice for my tribe by any means, but I'm here. I am a member of the tribe. And there, there aren't, I mean, who else is going to stand up and speak if I don't? Or at least help pitch in, right? Because there's plenty of projects that need help. Cultural preservation is a huge undertaking, and it's hard to get like young, and I speak from experience here, right, because I'm a few years older. But like, even as a young kid, it's, you know, you're supposed to do it like your mom or your grandma is telling you all the time, you got to do it, like learn the language. Pitch in. And like, as a youth, I think there's so many other things, like, especially if you grow from, low income family, like you're looking for job opportunity. You have ten other concerns of your life. You're trying to balance and make a future for yourself. And I think that struggle by itself is not understood by people who aren't a member of a tribe. There's a lot of pressures and difficulties there. And yet, we need to help. And so it's a great leadership opportunity if you can get through that. And find a way to pitch in to your, your tribal community or your cultural preservation projects. And, I think by having a small community here, it's kind of pushed me to do that, and I'm grateful for it.

Gabby Chavarria '26 (11:53)

So this next section is about administration. If there is one change that the Princeton leadership can make to improve experiences for Native and Indigenous students on campus, what would that be?

Ammon Love '26 (12:03)

Oh, man. Well, I think instead of starting from a critical point of view, I'll start from a place of gratitude. I'm grateful for the hiring of Dr. Ellis, for example. She's done tremendous work and outreach to the Oklahoma tribes, which is where my tribe is headquartered. And, even other nations right across the West. And, and I think those are tremendous steps in the right direction, building those relationships. Right. Just inviting them here. Princeton has the resources to do so, and I'm grateful to see them doing that. I'd like to see even more. Right, why not? There's many voices with many things to share, many bits of wisdom and, who have needs. And Princeton has a platform that they can help with. And I think that's a valuable thing that I'd like to see grow. I'm also grateful that they're trying. I see efforts within the administration, to try.

That being said, there's a debate in our communities about land acknowledgments and their usefulness. Right. I think you touched on that earlier. And, rather than a performative statement, which I largely see land acknowledgments as, I would like to see more of those funds go towards hiring more people. Right. Like a cultural individual from my tribe that's in residence here. That would be awesome. And I think it would benefit the community at large. Right, to understand that our tribes, you know, were dispossessed of this land. And that's why they're in Oklahoma, right? That's why they're not here, is because they were pushed out. And so, hearing kind of how we survived through that and even thrived and then what cultural preservation can be done in partnership with the History department here by having representatives here would be, I think, a much stronger piece of evidence from the administration that they're trying to build that relationship.

Not that I have anything wrong with land acknowledgments. I think that, again, you can argue they're a step in the right direction. I just worry that it kind of shifts the focus from what would really help our communities, to something that's kind of a checkbox that feels good. I, I've become very, Princeton has made me very hypersensitive to those types of things now. Much more aware of how that shifts the conversation from uplifting socioeconomically and culturally, my people who really need it. So I'd like to see more of that.

Gabby Chavarria '26 (14:17)

We have some extra questions.

Ammon Love '26 (14:18)

Okay.

Gabby Chavarria '26 (14:18)

So, how did you feel when you got accepted into Princeton? And how does that feel compared to how you feel now?

Ammon Love '26 (14:25)

Wow. I did not expect to get into Princeton. That was a weird feeling. I did it as kind of like a Hail Mary, right? Like, I'm going to try for all these options and see, but I certainly did not expect to get in. So when I got in, it was, I think I actually cried because, like, no one in my family has ever had an opportunity like this. Most of them don't even have a college degree. Right? So, like, I don't think they even understand, like, how big of a deal it was, but to me, like, it was very special.

I mean, the dream is always, like, much more rosy than reality, right? So when you get here, there's, there's a lot you have to deal with. When you come here to this unique institution, I'm still grateful. Like, you know, I'm getting this for free. Basically, this wonderful education. And I've tried to maximize those opportunities as much as possible. But, yeah, my perspective has certainly changed about what it means. Right? Like, I have some guilt, right? That I was able to get into this wonderful opportunity when other people in my family you know, I've never had this and, I think there's several students here that feel that way. So that's hard, but I, I think my goal then is, is to simply take that responsibility and use it for good. Right. So I see that as a call to action, similar to being one of the only Lenape students here. I see that as a responsibility. So I'm going to take this and I'm going to help uplift my community where I can in every way I can.

And I mean that sincerely. And, you know, again, like getting into Princeton and all the struggles, right? Not just the good stuff, the great opportunities, the money, the curriculum, the things I've learned, the people have connected with, like the hard stuff too. Right, the losing of dreams, the missing out on particular scholarships or awards or competitions that, you know, I didn't get because my GPA is not great, thanks to Princeton. Thank you Princeton, thanks for that. But, and they have no interest in changing, of course, because they think it's right. But we could debate about that later. I just think, like, even those experiences have helped push me back to my community to want to use it for good, make use of, like, the suffering and the struggle and, use it towards helping people who are also suffering in their own way. I think it's made me a much more empathic person, right? Having come here and experienced Princeton from my background.

Gabby Chavarria '26 (16:39)

What was your experience getting involved with campus life at Princeton? And... You actually kind of talked about this already, but what kind of drew you to the particular groups that you're in right now?

Ammon Love '26 (16:48)

I mean, shared interests mostly. Right. So, it was also like, shared suffering. So people who were like, I came in, thinking I was switching to the medical field. So I was premed, and that actually eliminated a lot of my campus life involvement, because there's just so many hoops you have to jump through being premed. So like my first two years here, I was just suffering through getting those requirements done. And, and then ultimately I decided I wasn't actually going to go premed. And so I kind of struggled with the depressive thought that I just wasted two years of my life, and suffered tremendously to do it. But, I think there were multiple students who experienced what I did, and, they ultimately kind of pulled me back into campus life. So as I started readjusting my direction, I started getting a little more involved.

I think, again, like, if you open your eyes, beyond the accomplishments of the competition and the comparison, there are a lot of students who are suffering that your friendship could help ameliorate with, just like a small outreach. And there's no place like that, maybe MIT, but Princeton is is one of the few that I think forces the students into that position. And I'm sad there isn't more of a culture from the student body about reaching one another. I think we do get sucked into the competition and the accomplishment, like wheelhouse and the consulting and finance like pipelines that I think it does a disservice to how much need there is among the student body to connect with one another. And so, like, I take that as personal responsibility again, that I could be an advocate for that. And help students see, like, it's okay to share your weaknesses and failures like it's okay because we all are suffering them. We just don't have a culture of talking about it. And that's, that's, that's like my enemy. My enemy is being quiet about your suffering because people suffer in silence. And so I think the more it gets out there and they're able to express it and they feel heard, right, you can be that person that soundboard for them. I just believe that's what the world needs more of. I'm a little biased. I worked on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline before I came here, when I was in community college, and I just picked that up, and it's forever changed the way I see people. And I just think there's such, it takes such little effort to just show someone their shared humanity is accepted by you. Including their suffering, their weaknesses, their failures. Right. And I think, I'm grateful for the experience and the communities and the students who are also mutually suffering, for kind of showing me that again in my life as I suffered through this experience.

Gabby Chavarria '26 (19:28)

All right. So our final question, what is your hope for future Native and Indigenous students on Princeton's campus?

Ammon Love '26 (19:34)

I hope there's more of them. I would love to see a bigger network of Native students, but my hope for them. Gosh, beyond that. My hope for them is that they don't get lost in the elitist culture that can potentially suck them in here, and that they do go back to their communities. I hope that for myself. Right. So I'm not trying to, like, stand on a soapbox and say, oh, you know, you went to consulting bad, bad, right? Nothing like that. In fact, if they get that opportunity, great. But I hope they leverage it, right? That new income, that new opportunity to go back to their communities and help others, uplift their own life. And so I hope they, they can make use of their suffering. They don't get lost in either the failure of it or the great success of it. Right. Because it can be those two extremes. But they kind of center themselves in who they are. Remember who they are and take that, reframe it and use it to serve other people in the communities I come from. And I actually hope that for all communities, not just Native students, but anyone who comes from their particular background and they have, gained a tremendous amount of success through Princeton's opportunities. I hope they can not lose their way, so to speak, and give back to their communities. And like I said, I hope that for myself too.