My Aana's Graduation

My grandma (aana) is one of the most inspiring and selfless people I know. She lives by what she preaches, and she is a true leader who, by her words in a speech to us at the Emerging Leaders Dialogue, is in it as a service to the people. She served on the Alaska Redistricting Board this year and is the President/CEO of NANA Regional Corporation... and all while doing this, she completed her Master's in Rural Development at UAF.

I attended her graduation and was so happy to be apart of it. I'm so proud of the person she is and what she has accomplished in her life, coming from not having much and becoming a single mother at the age of 18 with my beautiful mother. She's a great role model to myself and many other young leaders, and I'm proud to call her my aana and be named after her, both my middle name Marie and my Eskimo name Kasannaaluk.

My aana & I after her graduation


My aana - Master's degree graduate of UAF