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Wednesday, June 03, 2015
Stefan Weingarth
Fairbanks, Alaska

(Photo courtesy of JR Ancheta, University of Alaska Fairbanks)
As an honor graduate from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF); president of the university’s American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) and Society of Petroleum Engineering (SPE); and future ConocoPhillips Alaska engineer, it’s hard to believe Stefan Weingarth was raised in a small town where college degrees are few and far between.

Like many young students from rural Alaska, a degree wasn’t always something that seemed attainable. Stefan struggled to find a job that worked with his high school class schedule, and he earned money where he could and saved as much as possible. However, with his freshman year in college wearing a price tag of more than $20,000, he still didn’t think a degree was within reach. Stefan began applying for a number of scholarships; including those that seemed out of his scope.

His uncertainty was eased, though, when he earned enough scholarship money to pay for his degree – in full! Today, Stefan is 22 years old and holds a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering and an associate’s degree in process technology. On July 6, Stefan will begin his career as an engineer at ConocoPhillips Alaska, a position he earned through numerous summer internships during his college years.

What Stefan believes set him apart from the other scholarship applicants was not only that he wanted to be an engineer but also that he wanted to work in Alaska and give back to the community where he grew up. That is, after all, the reason he has the dreams he does today.

“My family had a fish camp on the Yukon River growing up. For two weeks every summer we would go fishing, and my dad would tell me about the anatomy of different species of fish. It always interested me,” said Stefan. “On top of that, my grandpa worked at NASA and always told me to ‘reach for the stars.’ When I got to high school, math and science just made sense. I want to do some work internationally while I’m young, but ultimately I want to come back home, start my own business and give back to the community that helped build me.”

Stefan is Yup’ik from St. Mary’s, a city of only 500 residents, located in western Alaska. He went from there to Mt. Edgecumbe High School, where he participated in his first computer build and learned all that the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP) had to offer students like him.

“It was really cool building my computer from just pieces. And, the ANSEP team was so pumped about getting students involved with STEM. When I got to UAF, ANSEP was one of my first stops, and I was involved in the University Success component from then until I graduated. My junior and senior year, I helped other ANSEP students with math and science as a recitation leader. It really helped me develop my communication skills and learn how to put the problems in my head on paper so someone else could understand.”

Throughout his college career, Stefan learned the value of opportunity and encourages all students to seek out and take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself.

“My freshman year, one of the graduating seniors from the engineering program presented on his summer internship. I remember him saying that it wasn’t completely geared on what he was working toward, but he was still able to learn important lessons from it. It was very influential and inspiring to see someone that came from a similar background, went to college, did well and had a full-time job offer waiting for him after college.”

Through his experiences as a recitation leader at ANSEP and many other noteworthy leadership positions, Stefan has developed a true passion for leading others and inspiring them to go after their dreams, something he hopes to continue in the future.

“I would tell students like me to understand that sacrifices will have to be made to get where you want to be. You have to realize the goal behind what you’re doing. You’re going to college for a degree, which ultimately leads to a career. Start with the end in mind, and remember it until you’re where you want to be.”


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Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Shamariah Hale
Fairbanks, Alaska

Shamariah Hale considers herself a true small-town Alaskan. A 23-year-old Athabascan from Fairbanks, she is the oldest of three girls and just graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with her bachelor’s degree from the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Shamariah is one of the first in her family to earn a college degree, however her sisters – who she has helped guide along the way – are not far behind her!

With an ongoing desire to work in the natural resources field, Shamariah wants to help preserve the marine wildlife that has helped sustain Alaska Natives for centuries. Growing up with this dream, she was unaware that programs like ANSEP existed to help jumpstart her education as well as her career. It wasn’t until Shamariah’s high school mentor told her about ANSEP that she learned it could help her earn money for college and provide her the tools she needed to be successful in math and science.

“I couldn’t believe that there was a program that wanted to help students like me get a degree. The ANSEP team made it so easy for me to join the program. One day I was sophomore at West Valley High School, and the next I found myself in Anchorage on the UAA campus participating in ANSEP Acceleration Academy. I loved it so much, I even encouraged my sisters to join the program,” Shamariah said.

While it was easy to face her studies head on with ANSEP, she does not hesitate to admit that math and science did not come easy to her. However, her mom’s advice to take things day by day paired with her support group at ANSEP, Shamariah was able to learn the material and eventually excel in those areas.

“I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without ANSEP. There were times when I didn’t think I could do it, but my friends and teachers at ANSEP helped me through the tough times. Eventually I got to know everyone at the program, and that made learning math and science a blast!”

When she graduated high school, Shamariah decided to continue with ANSEP and participate in the Summer Bridge component before becoming a full-time student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks,

“The best part about ANSEP is the internships you have available to you. Most of the fisheries experience I have today stemmed from Summer Bridge. I worked at the Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program, U.S. Geological Survey and Alaska Department of Fish and Game. I learned something different at each and had a great time doing it.”

Now that she has her degree, Shamariah plans to take a well-deserved vacation before jumping into job applications. While her dream job is to work at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or study Alaska’s freshwater fish, she will take any opportunity that comes her way that provides her an opportunity to contribute to the natural resources field.

“I’m not sure where I’ll be in five years, but I know I’ll be doing something in the fisheries industry. Right now, I’m following my mom’s advice: focusing on what’s in front of me and taking everything one day at a time. My advice for students like me is to not let opportunities pass you by. If you see something you want that’s right for you, go for it!”


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Wednesday, May 06, 2015
Stefanie Armstrong
Kotzebue, Alaska

Stefanie Armstrong is not your typical college student. Iñupiaq Eskimo from Kotzebue, she is a mother of two and now also an engineer. On May 3, Stefanie walked across the stage at the University of Alaska Anchorage commencement ceremony and received her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, which is something she’d promised herself she would do since 1998.

For a year immediately following high school, Stefanie attended University of California Berkeley, where she met her husband then decided to move back to Kotzebue and after 10 years, she moved to Anchorage. Now, with her engineering degree in hand, Stefanie is taking the next steps in her career as a project coordinator serving CH2M Hill’s oil, gas, mining and government clients in Alaska. She earned the position by excelling academically as well as during her internships at CH2M Hill, one of ANSEP’s strategic partners, which provides access to required internships for students like Stefanie who are part of ANSEP’s University Success component.

Throughout college, Stefanie spent the hours between classes and studies raising her children. She makes lunches, brings them to soccer practice and – like any good mom does – helps them with their homework. With a mom as an engineer, Stefanie’s son and daughter are already following in her footsteps and are now ANSEP students and excel far above average in school.

“Last night I helped my son prepare for his binomial equations test. I’m so proud of both my kids and happy I can share what I’ve learned with them,” Stefanie said. “My daughter is so advanced that she has to take her pre-algebra class online though the Anchorage School District. She’s in sixth grade.”

While Stefanie’s strength and determination surely got her to where she is today, she attests much of her success to working with ANSEP. After returning to college in 2009, she found it difficult to juggle a family, a job and school. It was then that Stefanie decided she needed to focus on her education, and ANSEP helped her excel while giving her the financial support she needed to get her degree.
“ANSEP provided me the means I needed to succeed, and the staff truly care. If they don’t see you, they call because they want to know how you are. They do more than just teach – they listen and guide you on your journey and encourage you when you’re struggling,” Stefanie said.

There is no doubt that Stefanie, like so many ANSEP students, faced challenges along the path to graduation. However, with the support of her family as well as ANSEP staff and students, Stefanie overcome the challenges and came out with her degree in hand and a great career ahead of her.

Stefanie added, “My advice is to go after your dreams. If you want to change your current situation, you can. There was a time when I couldn’t find a job for nine months. Today, I have so many opportunities. Empower yourself, go to school and get your degree, regardless of your age.”

And what will Stefanie accomplish next? She’s not sure yet what her dream job is, but she knows she’s moving in the right direction with a strong support group behind her every step of the way. Furthermore, Stefanie has every hope that her children will continue to follow their dreams and do what they love. Maybe one day they will even teach her a thing or two about engineering!
 
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Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Michele Yatchmeneff
Aleutian Islands, Alaska

Growing up in a traditional subsistence lifestyle in rural villages along Alaska’s Aleutian chain, Michele Yatchmeneff’s future seemed as if it was pre-determined from the moment she was born. Michele is a Unangax (Aleut) or Native American woman. In Alaska, that means that she is among a group with the highest unemployment rate and 40 percent do not graduate from high school in four years.

Despite the odds, Michelle’s determination, along with support from programs like ANSEP, allowed her to excel far beyond that statistic. She now holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering from the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), and she is currently pursuing her doctorate in engineering at Purdue University. As if that weren’t enough, Michele has been able to maintain a traditional Unangax lifestyle, attending school in Anchorage and returning to her village during the summers to harvest food with her family.

Michele discovered her love of engineering in high school while attending an engineering camp at the University of Denver, and she began to immerse herself in several camps and internships. While tackling her undergraduate degree at UAA, Michele participated in ANSEP University Success. Designed to bring together a community of students, staff and industry partners, ANSEP’s University Success component inspired Michele to keep working toward her degree, no matter what obstacles she might face.

“My most memorable experiences at University Success occurred while studying with other ANSEP students during recitation,” says Michele. “I truly believe that studying with like-minded peers and receiving help from ANSEP teachers is the reason I hold the degrees I do today. They inspired me to keep moving forward. The classes were difficult, but doing it together made it bearable.”

Throughout Michele’s school and work experiences, she felt that there was an ongoing stereotype that came along with her Alaska Native background. She was often denied the respect she felt she had earned. As a result, she began working at ANSEP, motivating other Alaska Native students to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) degrees and to join her in combatting those stereotypes.

“ANSEP students inspire me every day because they are knocking down barriers they don’t even realize exist. My favorite experience as the ANSEP Deputy Director was seeing Frazer Tee, one of my first Acceleration Academy students, graduate with his bachelor’s degree in engineering. Frazer is now a practicing engineer at Intel, and I couldn’t be more proud!”

Michele will break a barrier herself this fall as she becomes the first female Alaska Native engineering faculty member at UAA once she graduates with her doctorate. She will, of course, also continue her work with ANSEP students. Her advice for Alaska students interested in STEM careers is to participate in summer components and internships at ANSEP and make school a priority. Michele truly believes that everyone can turn a bad situation into a positive one – it all depends on how you look at the obstacle standing in front of you.
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