Arctic Entries

Missy was born to a fiery second generation Italian woman and a Cuban immigrant on the east coast. She started formally telling stories at age five when she forced her grandfather to record her interviewing her relatives at thanksgiving. She is a bit of a gypsy who will move to a new city on a whim driven by her spirit of adventure. When she isn’t cooking comfort food for friends, having a random...

Nicolette (also responds to Nicky/Nico/Nic) was born-and-raised in Airport Heights. She has lived among the Douglas firs of Oregon, the saguaro cactus of Arizona, and now the maple forests of Quebec. She just earned her Master of Urban Planning degree from McGill University and is ready to move to a cabin in the woods.

Alison has been living, hiking, and skiing - often with friends but rarely without a dog - since she moved to Alaska in 1990. She's lived in Homer and Valdez and now calls Spenard home.

Jennifer’s patchworked career path has included teaching piano, guiding kayak and road bike trips, teaching downhill skiing, and being a property manager. Her list of idiocies/adventures span trekking in Tibet, paddling the cayes of Belize, road biking through the Yukon, and learning how to paraglide by running off a cliff at Hatcher’s Pass, but it’s possible that telling this story for Arctic Ent...

Nithya is a lifelong Alaskan and Sri Lankan Tamil. She missed the memo in middle school and has currently become obsessed with vampires while hunkered down. She is a lover of history, dancing and advocating for human rights, and hopes that in these tough times, she can continue to support local and global communities in building a more just and equitable future.

Kathryn loves living in Alaska! She was born and raised here. She liked to spend her time looking at wildflowers, enjoying winter and summer outdoor sports, and rebuilding cars (especially her Subaru!). On the coldest winter days, you'll find her by the fireplace reading a good book.

Gabby is a senior at West High. These days, she’s doing what she can to stave off existential dread. A former spelling bee prodigy, Gabby loves being outside, playing soccer, and hanging out with friends. She hopes that her story can be a lighthearted escape from everything going on in the world right now.

Despite growing up in Fairbanks, Bonnie settled upon Anchorage after her release as an opportunity to start her life fresh in a new spot. Now a supervisor at Fire Island Bakeshop, Bonnie has become an active member in the Anchorage community. While incarcerated at the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center, Bonnie was involved in Running Free Alaska, a structured running program that promotes healthy...

Since graduating in 2014 from the Felony DUI Therapeutic Court, Lance has pursued a career in the recovery services field to better help others find their way to freedom from addiction. He is a trained Moral Reconation Therapy facilitator, a trained peer mentor through the McShin Foundation, and a Chemical Dependency Counselor I.

Chet was born in Anchorage on 9th & L streets in 1960. He identifies as Yup’ik and his first language was Yup’ik. Chet is the proud father of two, grandfather of nine, and great grandfather of three.

Having graduated from the Anchorage Felony DUI Court in 2018, Carlos is extremely active within the local recovery field and is working to become more involved at both the state and national level. He holds the chair position of the Alaska Therapeutic Court Alumni, a group that promotes sobriety and right living for therapeutic court participants and graduates. Carlos lives in Anchorage and curren...

Joel–half Yup’ik Eskimo and half white–is from Togiak, Alaska. He is 32 years old. Joel received his bachelor’s degrees in Yup’ik language and music from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Laneea’s life has been full; full of the joys, full of the pains, and full of faith. Half Tongan and half white, she is originally from Arizona. Laneea is a mother of four and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is eager to use her lived experience to give back and serve her peers.

Now 60 years old, Jeff has been clean and sober for nine years. Since 1990, Jeff’s addiction has led him in and out of prison; he most recently served seven and a half years. Despite being on electronic monitoring for over 14 months, Jeff has worked his way up to becoming a kitchen manager, where he commonly hires folks coming fresh out of prison or residing in a halfway house. Jeff is committed t...

I'm Daija from the city of Oakland. I was blind for 10 years but now my eyes are opened. And even though my eyes didn't work, I swear I've seen things that would make a lion's heart hurt. That's why I'm standing here today, to tell the story of this blind girl who moved to AK from the Bay.

Esther is an artist, educator, traveler, and lifelong Alaskan. She enjoys baking pies from scratch, drinking coffee in the bath, and hunting for the perfect hammock spot. Her favorite stories make her both cry and laugh, and she's grateful to be here and enjoy the juiciness of this event.

Sophia is Korean born and Alaskan raised, and seems to have a polar opposite means to happiness. Sophia finds happiness and enjoyment in hiking, biking, kayaking, skiing and paddle-boarding in beautiful Alaska outdoor scenery all year round. However, she's equally happy to cuddle with her 3-lb Chihuahua with books and cup of hot chocolate in her bed as well. Additionally, Sophia hates aftershocks/...

City mouse. Indoorsy. Baker, traveler, the world's biggest fan of her family. Would 100% win Survivor.

Julie was born and raised in Anchorage and is the proud mom of two young boys, Mason and Eli, who keep her very busy. Julie’s motto for raising boys is: “what little boys lack in common sense they make up for with energy!” When she’s not keeping up with her kids you can find her fishing and biking in the summer, sledding and ice skating in the winter and making beaded jewelry year round.

Elizabeth is the third member of her family to tell an Arctic Entries story. She counts herself lucky, but also knows that luck comes from not being afraid to try to new things, or to follow her instincts and marry a nice guy she met in a grocery store, as one example. She’s a communications manager and the proud mom of two kind and adventurous teenage boys.

Elijah moved to Alaska a few years ago from Michigan and decided to stay. He has served in the Peace Corps in Cameroon and is always planning another adventure. He enjoys hiking and running on Alaska’s beautiful trails

Destiny is originally from Alaska but grew up in Oregon and Idaho. She has worked with individuals with disabilities since she was 16. She is now a Registered Behavior Technician(RBT) and an Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) manager, and works with kids who have autism. She has three beautiful children and a wonderful husband. Michele is a proud Alaskan Resident who has lived here sin...

Growing up in Anchorage, Donteh was exposed to criminal activity and drug addiction at an early age. Soon he became addicted to the fast life, and making money was his mission. After his second prison term, he began to understand his potential and worth. He is now the author of a treatment manual entitled From Hustling to Healing which highlights overcoming the addiction to a criminal lifestyle. H...

Susan is a lifelong Alaskan. Volunteerism & advocacy are her passion. She has not expired, only semi-retired, and is a bit of a roamer between Anchorage & Homer.

Megan is a lifelong Alaskan, and proud Spenardian. She is the Communications Director for the ACLU of Alaska, but in her past life she was cranking out copy for peanuts in newsrooms around Anchorage, reporting on everything from homelessness to elephants. In her free time, she's either in the woods, hanging with her dog pack or looking for an excuse to go to Fire Island Bakery