Sarah Liese (Twilla)
Indigenous Affairs reporterSarah Liese (Twilla) reports on Indigenous Affairs for KOSU.
Liese is Diné and an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. She is passionate about heart-centered storytelling and works as an Indigenous Affairs reporter at KOSU. She joined the team in April 2024.
Sarah's Navajo name is Twilla, which means "Sparkle Upon the Water."
Liese is from Saint Louis, Missouri, and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi in 2019. Following graduation, she worked at WLOX-TV in Biloxi, Mississippi, as a Producer-In-Residence Fellow and Digital Content Producer. She hungered for more schooling and enrolled at Ohio University to pursue a Master of Science degree. While in graduate school, she was awarded the Outstanding Master's Student Award in 2022 from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.
Liese has presented her findings at the International Indigenous Climate Change Research Summit and International Indigenous Research Conference, and has received multiple fellowships from the Sundance Institute and the Indigenous Journalist Association.
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Three tribal nations and five affected students are suing the Secretary of the Interior, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs and the Director of the Bureau of Indian Education over slashes to the Bureau of Indian Education. -
19 Seminole, Cheyenne and Arapaho children who were subjected to assimilation at Carlisle Indian Boarding School will finally return to the earth on their homelands in the fall. -
At an Oklahoma State University panel for the school’s 2025 Tribal Summit, some leaders sounded the alarm about the impacts of the administration and its Department of Government Efficiency. -
Under the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency, Bureau of Indian Affairs offices are undergoing sudden and unexpected layoffs and closures across the state. Tribal leaders are taking matters into their own hands to mitigate the impact on their citizens. -
Edgar Heap of Birds' artwork is taking over the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center in the 'Honor Song' exhibition, highlighting his creativity and expression dating back to the 1970s. -
The story of Aubrey Dameron lives on as people from across Oklahoma are taking the time to remember her. -
Federal offices crucial to Indigenous success — Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, Department of the Interior and others— are undergoing layoffs. The Trump administration’s decision to empty those seats will trickle down into Indigenous communities in Oklahoma. -
The Myaamia Center at Miami University in Ohio received a $2 million grant to expand its Indigenous language revitalization efforts through the National Breath of Life Archival Institute for Indigenous Languages. -
On Monday night, a crowd spoke in opposition to the Tecumseh Schools' mascot, with many calling the term offensive. -
Two films with Oklahoma ties made waves at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah earlier this month.
