STUDENT SUCCESS STORIES
Tierra Wolf
Tierra grew up in a small village on the Kuskokwim River, where challenges are a part of everyday life. But EXCEL gave Tierra more challenges, such as job interviews. She practiced them during EXCEL 12 and developed the confidence and tools to apply for college. She felt prepared to move from high school to adult life and from her home in rural Alaska to Anchorage.
EXCEL pushed Tierra to set goals for herself, and she felt a great sense of accomplishment as she met each of them. She sets them all the time now, both professionally and personally.
Tierra is currently an Outreach Assistant with The Kuskokwim Corporation (TKC), working full-time and is a full-time student attending the University of Alaska Anchorage. She enjoys helping shareholders apply for scholarships and encouraging them to continue their education and chase their dreams.
Michael VanHatten
Michael was a senior in high school in the village of Minto when he heard about Alaska EXCEL. As a senior he signed up for the AVTEC Mini-bridging session. Michael was able to stay on the campus, meet with advisors, and see all their areas of study. He then signed up for EXCEL 12, where students run their session as if it were a corporation. Additionally, students choose a path, either direct into the workforce, postsecondary education, or the military. Students apply for scholarships, tour campuses, and write resumés and cover letters. They might practice for the ASVAB, or apply for jobs.
Michael's final session with us was the EXCEL/MAPTS Capstone where he earned a University of Alaska Certificate in Surface Mining as well as earning MSHA certification. Following his MAPTS training, Michael completed a two-week paid internship.
Since his time with EXCEL, he moved to Fairbanks and became more interested in welding - so much so, he enrolled in the welding program at AVTEC and graduated in December of 2018. Currently, Michael is welding tanks for the Greer Tank Company.
We wish him all the best!
Angela "Tina" Epchook
Meet Tina Epchook. Tina is from Kwethluk, a Yup’ik community located 12 air miles east of Bethel on the Kuskokwim River. She has lived a subsistence lifestyle her entire life. Over her past 6 years, in addition to attending school, Tina has been working hard packing water, feeding and caring for 5+ dogs, as well as participating in subsistence fishing. Tina started her journey with Alaska EXCEL during the EXCEL 11/12 session in 2021 and finished by attending a total of 7 sessions.
“My favorite thing about my time with EXCEL is traveling around, meeting new people and learning from each new experience. I wish I would’ve known of EXCEL as a Freshman.”
During our time with Tina, we witnessed her true artistic ability shining though. Her final session with us included the EXCEL/MAPTS Capstone training and paid work internship with Donlin Gold and in her spare time showcased her artistic talent by turning hard hats into works of art. Her talent turned into a side gig, earning her money toward her dream of going to art school in New Mexico.
With her hard work, talent, and love for art, she is enrolled at the Institution of Native American Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Studio Arts, with a focus in 2-D drawing.
We are proud of you! Good job!
Kayla Morgan
While Kayla was born in Anchorage, she grew up in Aniak, Alaska in a family of six with firm roots deeply embedded in a subsistence lifestyle. Kayla loves living in Aniak because it is a rich environment with a lot to do.
Currently, Kayla is attending college in Vancouver, Washington. Because of her career goals and her tenacity to obtain them, Kayla has put subsistence on hold for the time being while she is studying Elementary Education at Clark College.
Kayla has many talents, one of which is basketball. She utilized this talent to earn a college scholarship. She now plays forward guard for the Penguins, her college basketball team.
Kayla says, "Attending Alaska EXCEL gave me the option to try new things and become open minded."
We also give her our sincere best wishes for her continued success.
Arnold Simon
Hooper Bay, about 535 miles due west of Anchorage, is famous for its beautiful native baskets. But we find Hooper Bay has some pretty incredible students as well. Arnold is one of them. He came to EXCEL for our camps and found them to be extremely useful to him. He started with EXCEL 11, continued with CTMJ, and his EXCEL finale was the MAPTS Capstone. He did well at camp, but he excelled with his internship with Donlin Gold. When Arnold's internship was over, he volunteered at Bean's Café, assisting with serving the clients there.
Following his time in the internship, Arnold found a few odd jobs and including a tire technician at Kendall Auto Group. The employability skills Arnold learned at EXCEL serve him well.
EXCEL saw promise in Arnold and are excited to learn he has earned his A & P License, which is a FAA Certification for aviation maintenance technicians. And is on his way to earning his private pilot's license.
We are rooting for you Arnold!
Kattie Hoeldt
Kattie comes to us from Aniak, Alaska. She was first introduced to Alaska EXCEL in 2009. She logged an extraordinary number of sessions before she graduated in 2015, 20 in all! She says her favorite thing about being an EXCEL student was "all the exposure to new people, places, careers, education, cultures, and ideas."
After her graduation, Kattie spent time as a Fishery Tech II at the George River weir. She also worked as a dental assistant for almost two years.
In 2015, Kattie began her teaching career with EXCEL. Working as an intern, the program is modeled after an apprenticeship. After 1,140 hours, Kattie has been promoted to Facilitator, and now Instructor. In her current position, Kattie is responsible for teaching lessons, along with all the responsibilities she had before. Kattie says her favorite part about her job at EXCEL is the continuous diversity in her work.
We are very happy to have Kattie on our team!
Noah Ulroan
Meet Noah Ulroan. He is from Chevak, AK located 6 miles from the Bearing Sea coastline, in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Region. Noah enjoys bird hunting and snowmachining. He began his EXCEL journey by first attending an EXCEL foundational session (EXCEL 9) in 2017. He completed 12 more sessions over his 5 years with us, not to mention the 2-time color wars champion (Summer XL 2019 & 2022)! He first found his calling in the 10th grade when he saw that EXCEL was offering the Intro to Aviation Strand at the 2019 Summer XL. He was excited for this opportunity because ever since he was a young boy, he watched planes fly in and out of his village with loved ones, friends, and cargo. He says it always made him happy to see the planes, so pursuing a career in aviation was just what he was looking for. Fast forward to 2022, he was accepted into the EXCEL/CKT Summer Ground School where he passed FAA written exam and then onto EXCEL/CKT Flight School where he earned his private pilot’s license 6 weeks later!
Noah states, “EXCEL is a great opportunity to excel in your careers as they will help you figure out which way to go, and if you put in the hard work you will make it and you will not have to pay for it.”
Post-graduation, Noah continued his aviation dream of becoming a commercial pilot and flying cargo for Alaska Air Cargo by concurrently studying for his instrument rating written test, working as a ramper at Angel Aviation on the weekends and as Alaska EXCEL’s dorm parent every night. Noah continues to reach every goal he sets for himself and we are proud to call you one of our own.
Great work Noah, we are excited to see where you go! The sky is the limit!!
Ole Chief
Very close to the mouth of the Yukon River is a small community called Mountain Village. This is where Ole was raised. In these remote villages, the only way to get in and out is on the river or by air. Bush plane is the only reliable year-round mode of transportation for most of these communities. Because of this, pilots are one of the few proffesional occupations young, rural Alaskans see as they are growing up.
Transportation is not the only limiting factor in rural Alaska, education is another. Ole wanted opportunity, so he came to EXCEL. In 2017, he explored heavy diesel maintenance technology during Summer XL at AVTEC. He came back two years later to Summer XL because Professional Piloting was one of the strands and Ole had always dreamed of being a pilot. During his summer internship, Ole finished the first steps of his dream to become a pilot - his ground school and private pilot's license.
Ole has since completed his training to become a commercial pilot. His next goal will be to become a Certified Flight Instructor and work with Alaska EXCEL students.
We are so grateful to be a part of Ole's success of spreading his wings and soaring.
