Contact I-AC

PO Box 756720
4280 Geist Road
Fairbanks, AK 99775

toll free • 888-474-5207
phone • 907-474-5439
fax • 907-474-5208 (5561)

uaf-iacinfo@alaska.edu

Teisha Simmons

Interior-Aleutians Campus Director

Teisha Simmons is from Galena, with family ties in Koyukuk and Huslia. She has lived in Fairbanks since 1992 and graduated from UAF with a B.A. in Psychology in 2000 and a M.A. in Clinical-Community Psychology in 2003. Prior to accepting the position of Interior-Aleutians Campus Director, Teisha served as the program manager and faculty member of the Rural Human Services Program, project coordinator of the Alaska Natives into Psychology Project, and the program director of a children's mental health program. Teisha currently serves on the Doyon, Limited Board of Directors, the Doyon Foundation Board, and is a past Commissioner for the Interior Regional Housing Authority. She enjoys traveling, working on language revitalization efforts, and reading. Most importantly, she enjoys being a mother to her 8 year old daughter Tassy.

Teisha is a strong advocate regarding higher education opportunities being available in rural Alaska. Additionally, she is passionate about encouraging everyone to consider attaining higher education. She hopes to inspire others with the following memory of her first day as a college student:

"I remember the first time that I went up to the University after graduating from high school, I was ssssoooooo incredibly sure that I wasn't smart enough for college. I told my sister that I wasn't ready and that maybe I wasn't cut out for college. I will never forget what she said to me..."Teisha, your instructors will never ask you to write about something or test you on something they haven't taught you or told you to read and study. College isn't about how smart you are, it's about committing to attend class and disciplining yourself to study and get the homework done." She was so right.