After raising a family of three daughters, Ana Colwell enrolled in law school to better advocate on behalf of the environment, natural resources, and Native American legal and environmental issues. A citizen of the Osage Nation, Ana was born in Korea and grew up in Japan and South America. Through her travels, she learned from other cultures and experienced the vulnerability of climate and how the delicate balance of nature affects those that rely on it for security.

Ana's law school coursework has centered around a holistic understanding of environmental and natural resources law as they pertain to Native American legal and environmental issues. During her 1L year, she worked as a research assistant for the Environmental and Natural Resources Center under Professor Howard Arnett, producing several comprehensive research projects. The first regarded the Jordan Cove and Pacific Connector pipeline and its potential impact on Oregon tribal interests. Another regarded tribal senior water rights and ESA protected species in the Klamath Basin. As a Wayne Morse Fellow at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, she provided a legal review of Oregon tribal treaty hunting rights on lands in various statuses. She holds a bachelor’s degree in humanities and interdisciplinary studies from Northern Arizona University.