A National Science Foundation Research Fellowship grant is giving ASU doctoral student Shundene Key an opportunity to expand her research on proteins and how they function in the human immune system. The project could reveal ways to treat diseases by controlling proteins’ activities within the immune system. A member of the Navajo Nation, Key chose ASU in part because of its resources for Native American students. Along with help from ASU’s American Indian Student Support Services and American Indian Graduate Student Association, she was aided by Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Otakuye Conroy-Ben, a member of South Dakota’s Ogala-Lakota tribe. Conroy-Ben, the first Native American scientist Key had met, has provided her mentorship and a sense of belonging within the ASU community that is helping Key reach her goals.