Creating a whole new life

If I were being completely honest, over the past few years I’ve been doing a lot of self-reflection on myself and making so many changes to shape my future. 

I grew up in a small village on the Yukon, Marshall. Most likely, I would not share any of this information if we met in person but I grew up in an alcoholic home. We’ve seen a lot of good, a lot of bad, and most memories are in-between. Ever since I was a child I knew that I could not fall into the cycle and I want something different for myself. I helped raise my younger siblings and always wanted to take them with me once I am in the position to do so. 

I have 3 younger siblings and one older sister, all which I rarely get to see now. I do try and visit a few times a year, but with everything between vehicle problems, gas prices, distance, it gets very hard trying make these long road trips (especially with my wild child of a toddler).

I went to Galena Interior Learning Academy (GILA) throughout my entire highschool, which is a boarding school that was in fact far away from home. I think by doing so it had a huge and positive impact on my life. I met a lot of new friends who became family, got to experience how life would be in a safe and stable environment without any distractions, and it was the helped shape me to become more independent at a young age. I never moved back home,I did a lot of bouncing around in different towns and different jobs until I ended up landing a job as an early head start teacher in Nenana. I love working with children, I knew that I wanted to help kids and I thought that I would want to do that for a living. Once my partner and I moved out of Nenana and into Fairbanks, my manager told me that there is a job opening that I would be perfect for. It’s a completely different title and department but I am now the Family First Prevention Specialist for TCC. It’s quite the learning journey, I learned that there is a lot more that I can offer for children. There are a lot of families who could use some more support, that’s where I come in a help to provide support for children and their families from and entirely different angle now.  My number one goal for families is long-term stability. 

Anyways, I have been doing a lot of research on generational trauma, child and family welfare, and how different experiences can positively or negatively affect a child’s life. I still have so much to learn in this field and I am eager to learn more and implement it not only in a professional setting but also in my own home. I believe that everything that I have been through and have learned as a teacher and as a social worker, is making me a better person at home. I learned new ways to parent, to communicate, to educate others, and different ways to strengthen relationships.

I hope that with this knowledge that I’ve gained, I would be able to make positive changes in someone’s life. I realized that before I can help anyone, I have to help myself. I have to get past my own trauma, fears, and create my own long term stability before I can help another family with theirs. It all starts in your own home.