Christopher Liu (Egalaaq) and Lonny Strunk (Alaskuk) are Yup’ik computer scientists from the Lower Kuskokwim region. Egalaaq was born and raised in Mamterilleq (Bethel), his mother is from Nunapicuaq and father is from Taiwan. Alaskuk grew up in Kuinerraq (Quinhagak), his mother is from Kuinerraq and father is from Washington and Oregon.

From building online language tools as a hobby to building a business, Christopher and Lonny will share their journey behind Yuarcuun Technologies. Their keynote will highlight the meaningful Yup’ik language and historical insights they’ve learned along their journey.

Hau’olihiwahiwa Moniz is a Native Hawaiian social researcher and community educator from the ‘ili of Keahupua’anui in Kailua, Ko’olaupoko, O’ahu. She holds a Master of Arts in Hawaiian Studies and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Her scholarly work introduced the concept of Native Hawaiian Lateral Violence into academic discourse, examining how identity, belonging, and cultural self-efficacy are shaped in Hawaiian language and cultural revitalization spaces.

Her 2026 Keynote Presentation, “Am I Native Enough?” Lateral Violence in Indigenous Language Learning, examines how lateral violence influences Indigenous peoples’ relationships with community, identity, and the reclamation of their mother tongues. Grounded in research within the Native Hawaiian community, it analyzes how internalized colonial definitions of being “Native enough” undermine legitimacy and belonging in language learning spaces, creating emotional and social barriers for Indigenous language learners today.