Indigenous Studies at UAF

Transcript

Leaving home to go to college is exciting but can also be overwhelming. And UAF Rural Student Services, or RSS, supports students making their transition from living in rural Alaskan communities to Fairbanks. Cultural programming and activities help make home not seem so far away. Canaar is from Nelson Island near Bethel, Alaska, studying rural development at UAF. Tell us more about it, Canaar.

– Cama’i, everyone. “Cama’i,” means, “Hello,” in my Yup’ik language, a native Alaskan language. When I was looking for a university, I had asked people where they prefer to go to school at, and they had mentioned the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Ever since then, I’m happy I chose to attend UAF. Our Rural Development Program has helped students gain new skills like strategic planning, that will be useful for my planning career to give back to rural Alaska. The Indigenous Studies Program also helps students to know more about the history of Alaska, and why we are here to this day. There’s so many fun things to learn in these programs. I’m happy I’m able to meet new people from in and out of Alaska while I’m attending the university in Fairbanks. The programs at the Rural Student Services are fun to be in and it makes me meet new lifelong friends from rural Alaska. Another favorite thing about RSS is they sometimes serve native food, and it helps me cure my cravings to eat native food like moose soup or muktuk. I love how we are able to form our own community at UAF where it makes me feel at home and makes me less homesick. When I first left my village, Toksook Bay, Alaska, to attend the UAF, I did not expect to learn so much from my program, the social life, and meet so many people. This has been the best experience I’ve had so far and I’m looking forward to making more memories. That’s my story. Back to you, Alex.

– Thank you, Canaar. One-fifth of UAF students are Alaska Native or American Indian, and UAF is committed to partnering with indigenous communities to preserve the diverse languages, culture, and traditions unique to Alaska.