Mercedes is a history educator in the Twin Cities area where she teaches American Indian and environmental programs at schools, senior centers and nature parks. Learning to teach as a tour guide at the Minnesota Historical Society, Mercedes won a national award for developing a museum education program there. By teaching historical skills like making birch bark baskets, net making, processing wild nuts, and making traditional art with a modern twist, Mercedes continues to pursue her passion for connecting the past to its relevance in our modern lives. She and her husband and baby boy have recently embarked on a farm adventure with chickens and cats and are planting fruit and maple trees.