Seafha Blount, 24 years old, is a member of the Yurok Tribe and comes from the Frye family of Blue Creek - Ah Pah village. She is the granddaughter of the late Donna Frye (Martin) and daughter of Marion Frye (Blount).

Seafha graduated Summa Cum Laude from Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) in Joplin, Missouri in May 2005. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Spanish and was honored as MSSU's Outstanding Graduate in the Biology Department. She attended Missouri Southern as part of the university's prestigious Honors Program, which requires a Senior Thesis. Her thesis was titled, "The Klamath River Water War: Demands on the River, Water Quality, and the Role of Salmon in Yurok Culture". Data for her thesis project was collected during her 2004 summer internship with the Yurok Tribe Environmental Program.

During her time at MSSU, she studied abroad to Europe, South America and Cuba as part of MSSU's International Mission. She served as president of MSSU's Native American Student Association (NASA) from 2002-05 and was voted the 2002 MSSU Homecoming Queen, representing NASA.

During the summer of 2005, Seafha worked in King Salmon, Alaska, for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in conjunction with the Environmental Careers Organization. She began pursuing a Master of Science degree in Wildlife Conservation and Management at the University of Arizona (UA) in Tucson, Arizona, in January 2006. Her research title is, "Endangered Mount Graham red squirrels in Burned Forest: Long-term Survival and Response after Fire".

She currently serves as a board member of The Wildlife Society's Native Peoples' Wildlife Management Working Group and treasurer of the UA Wildcat Pow Wow Society. She has been a member of both organizations since 2006. The December 2007 issue of the Wildlife Professional, The Wildlife Society magazine, features Seafha in the article, "Exploring Diversity". Additionally, her scholarship has been awarded support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation/American Indian Partnership. For her commitments, she was recognized for leadership by the UA School of Natural Resources.

Recently crowned Miss Native American University of Arizona 2008-09, Seafha remains humble and feels very blessed and honored to represent her family, the Yurok Tribe, and the University of Arizona. Although she has lived far from the Yurok people for many years to pursue her education, she strives to continue learning her cultural roots by visiting the reservation as often as her schedule will allow. She is eager to complete her studies and return home.

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