Rising Leader

While at Northwestern College, Sierra Rosetta Tumbleson ’23 won several national theatre awards. Now pursuing a doctorate in theatre at Northwestern University, she continues to receive acclaim, having been named one of six Rising Leaders of Color by American Theatre magazine in May.

Tumbleson credits this honor to her connections within Northwestern University and its faculty support, which gave her several opportunities to participate in Chicago-area productions. “Also, there hasn’t been a lot of Native American representation in the Rising Leaders of Color program, or in theatre in general, so I appreciate that they want to uplift Indigenous artists,” she says.

Tumbleson, an enrolled citizen of the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe tribe, grew up in Trimont, Minnesota. Her father is a farmer and her mother was a high school speech and drama coach. In her younger years, Tumbleson helped with many backstage tasks, gladly following her mother’s directions.

While at NWC, the theatre major participated in multiple productions each year and was selected for a literary fellowship at the prestigious Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center and participation in Yale University’s Indigenous Performing Arts Program. Studying at Northwestern University on a full scholarship, Tumbleson hopes to become a theatre professor like those at NWC who inspired her to great achievements.