Kaleena Layla Stone

Kaleena Layla Stone, Paiute/Shoshone, 18, comes to us from the Bishop Paiute Reservation in Bishop, California. Kaleena is committed to raising awareness in prevention of substance abuse through culture, she believes the more involved you are in your cultural ways the less likely you are to abuse substances. Culture is prevention. She has been a part of the creation of an adult women Paiute Ribbon Dance group and has now branched off to make a Paiute Ribbon Dance group for young girls on her reservation. Kaleena sees the stigma of drug and alcohol abuse on her peers, a lot of the youth come from homes where substance abuse is rampant. Kaleena wants to show her peers and younger generations that you don’t have to follow down the same path as others in your family. You can build from that experience and live a healthy lifestyle, be involved in your community, in cultural activities and dance, whether it be traditional or powwow, the more involved you are the less likely you are to get into trouble or have a wandering, curious eye. Kaleena is the former Miss Bishop Paiute Tribe 2014/2015 for her platform she addressed issues of substance abuse among her peers and how the affects have grown over the years in many drastic ways. In order to break this cycle we must stand up in the fight against drugs and alcohol. Be a helping hand and a listening ear for those that may be suffering from substance abuse. But, most of all to lead by example. Kaleena wants the youth of her tribe and everywhere else to see that you can come from chaos but you can also rise above it, rather than being submissive to the destruction of our people. She wants to be that inspiration for them, so she chooses to abstain from drugs and alcohol, and to be a healthy asset to her community, in the hopes other youth will do the same. Kaleena is beyond excited to bring We R Native to her community, and to be a representative of her Bishop Paiute Tribe in the We R Native campaign to raise awareness in drug and alcohol abuse and suicide awareness.