Nina's Interviews
Rick
As a boy, Rick had a dream; a dream to fly an airplane. He went on his first flight at age seven and immediately knew what he wanted to do. Rick is now a pilot, along with his wife, and has been for the last 36 years. Rick has built and restored several airplanes, with two in the process of restoration with plans to fly them in the near future. Rick and wife hold FAA certificates of private pilot ratings with seaplane and glider ratings as well.
When asked what inspired him to be a pilot and build airplanes Rick talked about his history in the subject. "As a child, after I had gone on my first flight, I thought it was so interesting, and knew that is what I wanted to do in the future," he said. Rick sees his favorite part of flying as being able to see the world from a totally different different perspective. He has also been involved in a introductory flight experience program called Young Eagles created by the Experimental Aircraft Association headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In the program, he and many other pilots have provided free introductory flights for children who have been given parental permission to experience the joy of flying first hand.
Aviation has also led Rick to meet and witness first hand famous aircraft designers and key visionaries of human flight, such as Harrison Ford who flies both seaplanes and helicopters, Burt Rutan, who has been the pioneer in civilian space flight and aircraft design, Sir Richard Branson, an explorer of flying and the CEO of Virgin Atlantic, a progressive aerospace company who has worked directly with Burt Rutan’Äôs Ansari X-Prize winning effort of SpaceShipOne and the first civilian successful civilian space program design system.
Besides his keen interest in aviation, Rick likes to teach many subjects that have interested him over the years of his efforts to become an effective teacher. He has been instructing technology education, art, and computer science related courses for 34 years in several school districts in New York State. He enjoys teaching students a lot and educating them about the things he loves. Alaska, along with aviation and teaching, is one of the many things Rick loves.
This is Rick’Äôs first time on the AGLP trip with students, but he went to Alaska with his wife, Nadine guided by Dale ’ÄúIshtar" Rosene when Rick first retired from his full time teaching position in central New York State and they traveled together to all of the locations of the AGLP trip, but in the early fall months for a taste of what Alaska is like during the autumn changes in the wilds of Alaska.
He said he would like to go back because thinks flying over Denali National Park was a really unique opportunity and flying is a major means of transport of Alaskan residents. Rick hopes to come back to Alaska many more times to enjoy the spectacular views and share his experience with many others. "I can’Äôt keep myself from coming back, because Alaska is really phenomenal."
Don Forest
Don "Standing Bear" Forest has a passion to keep his native traditions alive. Don makes many different kinds of Native American jewelry using various materials such as deer hide, moose bone, and others. The tradition of making the jewelry was passed down to Don from his parents and he has been making jewelry for 20 years.
"Making jewelry is really all I do, I like to do it and I like to educate people about it," Don said. Along with making jewelry, Don is also involved in the Indian Arts and Crafts Association. He is the Vice President, has been on the board for three years, and plans to run again next year. "In the association, we try to preserve, protect, and educate others about the artwork," Don shared.
Don was born in Canada and is part of the SOU West Nova Mˆ©tis, but moved to Alaska 36 years ago. SOU West Nova Mˆ©tis is a group in Canada that fosters, promotes, and preserves their Mˆ©tis identity and heritage. One of their many beliefs is that a community as a whole is more important than an individual.
Aside from SOU West Nova Mˆ©tis, jewelry making is what Don spends most of his time doing. Don showed me many of his creations most of which were bracelets, necklaces, and rings. To make one of his bracelets, he first cuts strips of deer hide to use for thread then coats it with bee's wax. The bee's wax helps preserve the thread and make it last longer. After coating the hide, Don then beads the bracelet on a wooden loom and after a couple of hours it's complete.
"I don't waste anything. I try to use ever part of an animal as possible so nothing gets thrown away," Don explained. When he hunts an animal such as a moose, he uses every part possible. He gives away or eats the edible portions, uses the hide to sometimes make holders for knives, the antler for the knife handle, and the bone for parts of jewelry and the knife itself.
Don makes jewelry to preserve his heritage and carry on the traditions that were passed down to him from his parents. He loves to make Native American jewelry, it's a big part of his life, and he hopes to continue the tradition of his ancestors for the rest of his life.
George Manolov
George Manolov, who lives in Bulgaria, is here in Alaska for the summer. George works at Grizzly Bear Campgrounds in Denali National Park and speaks both Bulgarian and English. He enjoys his job at the front office.
"I like my job because I like to communicate with people. At the beginning, learning the procedures was challenging, but for the most part my job is pretty easy," George explained. Aside from his job, George likes to hike in his free time. Although he hasn't hiked up any major mountains yet, George plans to climb Mount Healy later this week. "When I'm hiking, I see many unusual sites and that's why I hike so much, because it's something different. One time I even came across a lynx!" George said.
George also attends parties in his free time, as he is a college student. He attends an American university in Bulgaria, and he comes to the United States to work for the summer. Before he came to Alaska, George was in New York. George does not think he will be coming back to Alaska next summer. He said, "I like Alaska because it is unique and something special, but I may go more towards the East Coast in the future so I can see more of my friends over there."
George is excited to spend his summer in Denali National Park, but he is also excited to go home to his family and school in the fall. Whether he goes to the East Coast next year or returns to Alaska, George will continue to do the two things he enjoys: hiking and communicating with new people.
Luke Rosier
I met Kenai Fjords National Park Ranger Luke Rosier on the boat tour we went on in Resurrection Bay. Usually, Luke does daily boat tours in the spring, but today he was on board to help the other crewmembers out with teaching us different things about the ecosystems and the environment. Luke has been a ranger for a little over a year now and he seems to really enjoy his job.
"I love to work outside and take part in the National Parks' mission to preserve and protect," said Luke. Luke's favorite part of his job is being outdoors, because he loves nature, and feeling like he's making a difference. Luke has been a ranger just about as long as he has lived in Alaska. Luke moved to Alaska from Detroit, Michigan, and he seems to love it here. "I most likely will not go back to Michigan, except to visit relatives, because I love the mountains and beautiful scenery here," said Luke. Being outdoors so much, Luke has picked up a few hobbies that include hiking, biking, camping, running, and a little bit of gardening.
In 2009, Luke spent five and a half months walking the two thousand two hundred mile long Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Luke said, "I started out the journey alone, but met many friends along the lengthy trail." Hiking the Appalachian Trail was a big accomplishment, as many would think, and Luke hopes to continue to hike many more mountains here in Alaska. Along with hiking, Luke also bikes a little bit in an effort to help cut down on pollution. "I try to bike as much as I can because it's a more efficient way to travel." Luke said.
Biking helps add to the things Luke does as a ranger to not only feel like he's making a difference, but to actually make a difference in this busy world. Luke hopes to spread the national parks mission to preserve and protect our earth to many others.
Stella Vera Kilcher
Stella Vera Kilcher’Äôs father was a very important man in Alaskan history. He was one of the men who wrote the Alaskan constitution and was the first known person to attempt crossing the Harding Ice Field. He also came to Alaska and cleared land for a homestead where Stella was later born.
Growing up on a homestead was very different from city life. Stella grew up with 7 other brothers and sisters. "We all had various jobs," she said, "when you were younger the jobs were easier. As you grew they got to be more difficult." They did not get to hang out with friends. If Stella wanted to have a sleepover she probably could once a year if she arranged with a sibling to have someone else do her jobs at home. She also didn’Äôt get an allowance. Whenever she or her siblings wanted to have spare cash they had their own small garden plot that they could sell whatever they grew in town. For food her father would hunt moose, bear, or whatever was available. All this hard work taught Stella important life lessons.
When Stella grew up and moved out to be on her own she used a lot of these life lessons. She ended up building her own house. However, while she was visiting in New Zealand her house burnt down. This was not entirely a bad thing. According to Stella everything happens for a reason. Because of the fire she ended up staying in New Zealand where she met the man who would later be her husband. She is presently working on building her new house. She has a job in Stress Relief Program. As for the homestead? She and her family have decided
Ed Sotelo
In previous year, teachers in Gamble on St. Lawrence Island had been chased off of the island with guns, but Ed Sotelo was up for the challenge of teaching there. Ed had been in some serious debt after getting married, so he desperately needed a job, and ended up in Gamble. The differences in the school systems between Gamble and previous places he’Äôd been a lot to handle, but Ed didn’Äôt give up.
"The kids knew that what I was teaching them wasn’Äôt going to be useful to them because their lifestyle is so much different than ours; so it was very difficult to get them to listen," he said. Although the kids were difficult at times, Ed still taught in Gamble for several years.
A big difference between the school in Gamble and the schools in the lower forty-eight is that the students in Gamble would bring their hunting gear to school. This was the only way to get the students to come to school. The reason for this was so they could get out of school if their families needed help hunting, and they would already have their gear with them.
Ed no longer teaches in Gamble, but he has a love for carving that originated there. "When I first came to the island, a native man asked me if he could carve in the school, so I let him and day after day he kept coming back," Ed said. As the days went on, Ed decided to see what the man was carving. After many days of watching the man carve walrus teeth, the man handed him a tooth and said, "Try it." That’Äôs exactly what Ed did.
Today, he still carves and that is what he does with most of his time. Ed even had some carvings that he showed me, and explained that each and every one has a story to it. Ed is a very interesting man to talk to, and seems to never run out of stories to tell about his unique experiences throughout the course of his life.