I am Yup’ik Alaskan Native from Bristol Bay in the Southwest region of Alaska. I moved around a lot growing up but much of my younger years I spent in Portage Creek Village, rural Alaska which is disconnected from any road system. The only building with running water and a septic system was the two-room school. 10 students were required to keep our K-8th grade school open and running, we had 12 students who were all first cousins. The current year-round population fluctuates between 1 and 2, my aunt and uncle. We packed our water for drinking and bathing, packed and chopped wood for heat by wood stove, and stocked up on months’ worth of non-perishable food.

The school had an intermittent satellite internet connection for television and collaborative learning opportunities. Once students finished 8th grade, we had to travel to and live elsewhere for high school and college if we pursued those. I spent half of high school in Reno Nevada and graduated from West High school in Anchorage Alaska.

I first attempted to earn my Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in 2007 at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). After my third semester grades that were less than satisfactory, I no longer qualified for a significant amount of financial aid, so I decided to join the military in 2008. After four years of active duty and two combat deployments to Afghanistan, I received an Honorable Discharge with benefits as a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.

After the military, I was in a truck driving apprenticeship, I broke my collarbone during my off-time and was unable to work for about five months. Realizing I did not want to be limited to my physical well-being for employment, I decided to again seek higher education and re-enrolled myself at UAA.

I have graduated with my Civil Engineering degree in May 2020, am working as a full-time Civil Engineer for the USDA Forest Service and will complete my Project Management masters in December 2021.

I am planning to apply for a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering after my masters is complete. From my various jobs, current career, my educational journey and just life in general, I strive to continuously improve when and where I can. I also work to be involved in groups and organizations that have a same or similar goal and perspective.

I involve myself with multiple organizations whose objectives are to promote more Indigenous and underrepresented people in STEM fields. I hope to add value and continuous improvement with my involvement with Hesperus.