I grew up on a homestead in bush Alaska, 50 miles from the nearest village of Eagle. My parents, two sisters and I lived a subsistence lifestyle, hunting moose and caribou in the winter and fishing during the summer. Our only source of income came from a trapline, which we checked with our sled dog team, and from birch bark baskets and crafts that we made by hand. Far from the nearest road, we traveled by dogsled and skis in winter, or canoe and foot in summer.

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I loved the environment in which I grew up, but was eager to go to college and make a difference in the world, and enrolled in the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2007. I met my wife, Sarah, while earning my degree. Both interested in education, we applied and were accepted into the Minnesota State University Master’s in Experiential Education program in 2012. We graduated in 2015. Wanting to teach, I enrolled in the University of Alaska, Southeast MAT program. While in the program, I found a teaching job (K-12) on Prince of Wales Island with Southeast Island School District. I received my MAT in 2016. Currently, I teach with SISD in Coffman Cove, and Sarah leads the district's greenhouse and agriculture educational initiatives.  

 

Sarah and I have two wonderful girls, Amelia and Rosalie, who are seven and five years old. They are the lights of our lives and remind us everyday that there always reasons to play and be curious about the world. 

 

I have a wide array of passions and interests. I enjoy anything in the outdoors, from hiking and backpacking, rock climbing, mountaineering, cycling, canoeing, white water rafting, kayaking, mushing, downhill and cross country skiing, hunting, and fishing. I am interested in wilderness survival skills, wilderness medicine, and canine search and rescue. Our children inherited a love of the outdoors and we enjoy exploring as a family. Aside from outdoor activities, I also enjoy playing music, team sports, martial arts, archery, reading, writing, strategy games like chess, traveling, and much more.