ALETA ALSTROM

My name is Aleta Christine Alstrom. I live in Alakanuk which has about 700 people. Alakanuk is mainly Yupik and people still practice their culture. During the summer or early fall people enjoy going to the coast to seal hunt. Alakanuk, unlike many other villages is Alaska, still practice traditional way of hunting a seal, which is by using spears.During the summer, people also like to subsistance hunt, commercial fish, pick berries, and camp out. Alakanuk also schedules potlatches every other month, and neighboring villages come to watch and participate in the ceremony.

Throughout high school I participated in cross country running, volleyball, basketball, Native Youth Olympics, and Academic Decathlon.I was also a member of the student council all throughout high school and I got to do a lot of traveling for that.

I plan to attend college this fall at the Alaska Pacific University and major in photojournalism.Within two years I plan to attend the University of Stockholm, Sweden and spend one year there. After that I want to transfer to the University of Montana in Billings, MT.

In ten years I hope to be working as a photojournalist for National Geographie and traveling the world taking pictures and writing about wild and exotic animals. I will be married and taking care of my two year old.

My favorite memory of RAHI was when our family grou, "Big Momma's Possie", went white water rafting. My least favorite memory was when I recieved my grade for my first exam in AK Studies.