The Student Voice

Making a Difference by Austin Johnson

Kuskokwim Campus UAF Student Newsletter Volume 6, Issue 2 December 15, 2014

Announcements

Open Mic Night, Thurs-

days, 7-9pm, YPCC

Spring 2015 Registration

continues

Saturday Market, 12/20,

10-3pm, YPCC

Hobo Jim Concert, 12/16,

7pm, YPCC

KuC Christmas Party for

Students, Staff & Faculty,

12/17, 12 noon, Sackett Hall

Winter Feast, 12/17,

6:30pm, YPCC

KuC Student Ceramic Art

Show, 12/17, 6pm, YPCC

Campus closed for Holiday

break, 12/22-1/3/15

First day of instruction for

Spring semester, 1/12/15

All across the nation, very skilled carpenters are measur-ing, cutting, leveling, and nail-ing wood together. They are able to install windows and insulation, and place shingles properly. These are things that carpenters do every day. Also, carpenters are working with new tools and materials as they face the challenges of building more efficient homes. It is clear that whatever happens a generation or two from now, the world will need its builders. Wherever there is a construc-tion site, carpenters will be found. I wanted to become a journeyman carpenter after

high school. I have already taken related courses in high school that will help me get accepted into an apprentice-ship program.

Even if one has an apti-tude for carpentry, a high school education is required. Mathematics and construction courses are essential in this industry. A person with a high school diploma or GED can most likely succeed in the in-dustry. I have received my high school diploma, and I am pushing ahead with my educa-tional goals at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Kuskokwim Campus. I have already taken construction courses in high school that will help me greatly as I pursue my career goals.

One course I took was Basic Construction Tech-niques. This class presented an overview of current construc-tion practices, hand and power tool usage, building procedures and codes, job and site plan-ning, layout, foundations, and framing methods for floors,

walls, and roofs. During this class, I discovered this is what I liked doing and that the oc-cupation has endless challeng-es. This course encouraged me to pursue carpentry as a career and become a certified carpen-ter. Technical programs com-bine study with hands-on train-ing which helps the knowledge sink in a lot more.

I also like to help others. I know that building houses will bring happiness to the owners by turning their blueprints into reality. But construction can mean building other things, such as bridges, office build-ings, and roads. As the codes and rules get more aggressive, building roads, bridges, and other structures will be making life safer for the community. It will be my duty to imple-ment these changes in order to have a safe and better place to live.

As construction advances, the world will be building its new road to success just as I am doing.

My name is Janina Flynn. I was born to John and Clara Flynn on April 24, 1996, and raised here in Bethel, Alaska. I am attending KuC full time to earn my AA degree. I am also working full time as a cashier at Swanson’s. Working seems to fit very well with my schedule of classes. I have three classes every day during the week, morn-ings and afternoons. Before and after my classes, I have time to work on my homework, and then I head to my job towards the evening. When my job duties are done, or it’s slow and there’s noth-

ing else for me to do, I read a book, either one required for school or not. Working and at-tending school at the same time is both easy and stressful. I do like having a job while in college for the extra money, but sometimes there’s too much to do and I get stressed out.

Combining Work and School by Janina Flynn

Continued on p. 2

Contribute to the newsletter!

This newsletter is by students, for students, and everyone is welcome to participate or contribute any ideas or articles.

Contact Cindy Andrecheck at crandrecheck@alaska.edu

Page 2 The Student Voice

UAF is an affirmative

action/equal opportunity

employer and educational

institution

We’re on the web at

www.bethel.uaf.edu

Kuskokwim Campus

PO Box 368

201 Akiak Dr

Bethel, AK 99559

Phone: 1-800-478-5822

907-543-4500

Fax: 907-543-4527

Volume 6, Issue 2 December 15, 2014

College of

Rural and

Community

Development University of Alaska

Fairbanks

Traveling our Way by Kendra Tulik

Have you ever traveled to another village during your weekend? Well I have. My traveling experiences have been pretty amazing. I often travel to Napaskiak, which is very close to Beth-el, for weekends to spend some time with my boyfriend and his family. My friend has been coming to pick me up on weekends ever since I started college this fall. Earlier in the year, we enjoyed boat and fourwheeler rides to Napaski-ak. Sometimes I travel by small plane alongside the commuters who work in Bethel but live in Napaskiak.

Boating can be such an adventure because of the waves, the rain, or even the very beautiful weather. One day when we were on our way to

the village, we came upon people who were swimming in the river right across from the vil-lage. I asked my friend why were they in the cold water as it was almost September. He laughed and said that they think it is still warm; kids these days are pretty tough.

So far this winter, there hasn’t been very much snow, and the weather has been warmer than usual. The scary thing about that was the river freezing up and then breaking up again just a month or so later! I was sad about that because I thought we weren’t going to be able to travel by snogo any time soon. Good thing there are always plane rides to get to the village and back to school.

First I finished building my foundation in high school. Next, I need to structure my framing by starting off at KuC. Then after I have enough experience as a journeymen, I will do the finishing touches

by starting to investigate owning an efficient business. Whatever tomorrow holds, car-penters will go in those new directions, such as working in new locations and using new building materials, tools, and structures. I

want to help people in Alas-ka start their own new path. Are we ready to begin build-ing the road?

Johnson from p. 1

DEVE 068 students Marga-

ret Minock and Austin John-

son interviewed Beverly

Hoffman as part of Winters

Past, an audio project about

changing winters by Isaac

Kestenbaum and Josie

Holtzman. (Isaac and Josie

visited our campus on No-

vember 6.) Bev showed the

students mastodon bones

from winters thousands of

years past found here on the

Delta. She also spoke of

more recent changes such as

changes in the bird species

that we see today versus 30

years ago. As Bev talked, the

students were fortunate

enough to see a flock of pine

grosbeaks, some chickadees,

and a pair of downy wood-

peckers, none of whom

would have been winter resi-

dents in winters past.

Bev’s Winters Past by C. Andrecheck