[1][5] Her thesis explored the how militarism intersects with indigenous identities and the environment in the NMI, with a particular focus on the Chamorro and Refaluwasch peoples.
[6] In 2017 she was awarded a grant by the Wenner-Gren Foundation to explore the overlapping territorial claims made by the US military and the indigenous Chamorro people.
[7] In 2018 she joined the Board of the Northern Marianas Humanities Research Council, and has held the positions of Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.
[6] As of 2021 she is Assistant Professor of Critical Indigenous Studies in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Concordia University.
[2] The organisation, led by Arriola, has encouraged opposition to the US Navy's plans to extend destructive military training in the region.