The Importance of Language Revitalization & Education With Kara Bobroff | SXSW EDU 2025 Rewind

Everyone learns and absorbs information in their own unique way, so why should school systems be structured in a “one size fits all” package? SXSW EDU 2025 pushed us to reflect on how we think about education and invest in communities to embrace new ideas, and encourage spaces of belonging across cultures and identities.

Kara Bobroff’s Featured Session underscored the importance of exploring indigenous learning systems as a means to revitalize education for Native youth. Through a bold 10-year plan, Kara presented actionable strategies for creating culturally responsive education models that support holistic student wellness.

Reconnect With Your Roots

Kara introduced herself based on her Diné values and culture, highlighting the importance of how this mode of introduction establishes a relationship of shared understanding and connection. She went on to discuss how her upbringing in an urban area and school system exposed her to inequities that existed in public education, especially as she learned of native students' engagement and attendance rates as compared to their peers.

As Kara continued her educational journey as an assistant principal, she began to wonder what education could look like if education environments were more reflective of the cultural roots she was so familiar with. How could schools embrace the Navajo language and culture to bring communities together and shift the focus from administration and districts, to the students and their support systems? What would happen if we began embracing traditions and languages that better resonated with students?

Restructure Your Perspective

During her conversations with parents as assistant principal, Kara discovered a disconnect between students wanting to continue their education in college and the Navajo ways of life and learning cycles. She explained how in Navajo culture, the four sacred mountains provide a roadmap for a holistic style of learning, but without that application in schools, students were missing the sense of belonging and identity that would help them thrive.

By drawing on examples of learning and language practices starting as young as kindergarten from New Zealand and Hawaii, Kara highlighted the measures that can be taken in the U.S. to apply holistic methods of learning within our schools to support Navajo traditions and languages.

Roads to Success - One Generation Fund

Kara took her personal experiences and research to begin her organization “One Generation Fund,” a non-profit dedicated to engaging Indigenous communities to create transformative social change through Indigenous-led programs and partnerships that solve problems, advance equity, and uplift Indigenous peoples across New Mexico and throughout the U.S.

Kara underscored the importance of continued language learning, as she emphasized the number of languages we stand to lose if we do not take the steps necessary to cultivate those learning environments. She outlined her 10-year plan to advance language learning in the U.S. through the use of AI, community farming practices, and policy advocacy that challenge the origins of traditional education practices.

Watch the full Featured Session:

Watch SXSW EDU 2025 On-Demand Content

Take a look back at SXSW EDU 2025 and relive exciting Keynotes, Featured Sessions, and more, now available to watch on our official YouTube channel, plus listen to hundreds of audio recordings in the schedule.

Stay tuned for more information about registration and participation opportunities for SXSW EDU 2026 coming later this summer.

Photo by Miguel Esparza