My name is Kavelina Torres.  My parents are Terry and Craig Anderson.  My Dad is from Bellevue, New Jersey, right across the water from Newark, NJ.  My Mother was born in Aniak to Catherine Ann Terry who was born to Massapokorluk wife to Chief Steven Nickolai on the Yukon River.

I currently live in North Pole, Alaska with my husband and four children.  I am a Junior at UAF taking concurrently an Associates in Business and an Interdisciplinary Bachelor of Technology in Yup'ik Filmmaking (encompassing Film, Business, Yup'ik Language and Alaska Native Studies). I love telling stories!  I have told many of my stories to my

children!  I have always told stories the difference now is that I write them down to remember them for later.  And now I have so many waiting in queue waiting to be developed and only so many hours of the day for college, research for my writing, time with family, household chores and actual writing!  Never enough time!  Never enough time! Never enough time! To that end, I have written a play for the Alaska Native Heritage Center that has been subsequently selected for a play lab in Valdez at The Last Frontier Theater Conference.  I have also written 10 minute bilingual plays. A screenplay that I have written has been entered into the Sundance Native Lab Fellowship - though they only select four writers from across the nation, so I am okay if they do not choose my script!

Kavelina shares her experience about her recent internship.  I have had the immutable pleasure of recently completing an internship with NBC Universal! I worked on "The Everybody Loves Whales" set in Anchorage this last semester.  I was able to observe business practices, Alaska Native languages at work (Yup'ik and Inupiat) and see how a major motion picture really comes into being!  It was a fantastic opportunity that I would recommend to anyone wanting to learn the film industry up close.  My job was a production assistant. We fill in the nooks and crannies that need filling!  Like getting breakfasts for the cast, making sure they were comfortable, collecting time sheets and making sure everyone knew when they needed to be back, making sure the crew of 150-300 cast and crew can hear the Director and Assistant Director. That means going to a specific location and repeating the directions given over a radio to the cast crew present in that locale. It also means keeping everyone quiet during the camera taping! The movie was so relevant to my major, Yup'ik Filmmaking, as I want to make films and I want Alaska Natives in them speaking our languages, whether that be an actual language or language of culture. Being involved in Everybody Loves Whales afforded me the pleasure of making new and renewing old friendships!  It was both very hard work and exciting! The most important thing I learned in the internship was that I can't do it alone. Surrounding myself with like-minded, capable individuals who share a passion for not just making movies but also making Alaska movies with a good story is another goal I have attained! My advice to students thinking of entering an internship:  DO IT!!! DO IT!  DO IT!  Any internship will be good for you!  An internship only increases your knowledge of an area of work.  Even if it is to learn that you don't want to do that job ever again!  Then you won't waste your time studying for something you will not like! If, on the other hand, you find that you like a job, it will solidify your resolve to continue to learn about the area of study!  It allows a person to be able to put into practice what they have been learning about and learn many more skills on the job.

Kavelina shares the importance of being involved in extra curricular activities such as student clubs. I have participated in a single club and attended meetings of other clubs.  The Business club I regularly attended in 2009. I have attended meetings with AISES, NABL, Drama and Theater and Film club. I have trouble putting them into my schedule.  I do wish there was a writing club on campus that I could attend.

Kavelina's motivation to do well in college comes from her goals, relatives and her children.  I set my goals early on so that I know what I am striving for and what I need to do to get there.  I did not know my ancestors personally but I know they would be disappointed in me if I were not to meet those goals.  I am also showing my children what life is like beyond grade and middle school.  I hope to lead by example to show them that it is never too late to learn and that you can study something you like or want.

Kavelina shares some of the challenges she has faced as a student at UAF. I have had many challenges at UAF. Student culture was foreign to me as was large groups of people.  Speaking in front of people was my most crippling challenge.  Practice makes perfect! The more I speak the better I get.  I am not excited about doing it but when I am excited about the topic no one can stop me from speaking about it!

College costs money...this is how Kavelina pays for school.  I pay for school by applying for scholarships, saving money, and getting the lowest interest in loans (ones that are   deferrable - so I can wait to pay them after I have completed college).  The most important step to getting a scholarship is to get good grades!  There are several scholarships that are based just on good grades. Apply for a scholarship is the most important thing you could do in your college life.  Let's face it, in the day and time we could all use some free money!  The only way you can do that is by logging onto uaonline.alaska.edu and filling out the scholarship application.  It's really just writing about you and your accomplishments.  Simple and easy.

"RSS is pleased and honored to have you as part of the family Kavelina!" 

FESTIVAL OF NATIVE ARTS

As midterms come around you might need some additional academic support.  Stop by the RSS Gathering room for tutoring in Math, English, Stat/Dynamics, Biology, Chemistry, Basic Engineering, and Physics.  AISES tutoring is available for all students; if you have suggestions or comments, please contact Joel Hunt at [email protected].

Monday: 1-2pm Uinniq Ahgeak - DEVM Stats
Tuesday: 9:45-11:15am Tim Nick - Math up to 108
              11-2pm Sterling DeWilde - Math, Calc III, English,  Physics,
                                   Stats/Dynamics, Chem 105/106
Tuesday: 3:40-5:10pm Thomas Hughes - Math up to 108, Basic    
                                                             Engineering
Tuesday: 3:40-5:10pm Uinniq Ahgeak - Math & Stats
Thursday:  10am-1pm & 3-5pm Courtney Enright -History, Basic
                   Engineering, Math thru Calc II, basic English
                 2-3:30pm Rebecca Church - Biology, General Chemistry,
                                                         Math, & Calc 1
Friday: 1-2pm Derek Nashookpuk - Math & Calc
             3-5pm Courtney Enright - all subjects listed above

Additionally, the following tutors are available:
Nick Shellabarger - Computers & Math; email: [email protected]; text: 1-907-310-6651
Maasak Mills - Geography; email: [email protected]
MJ Roseberry - CHEM 105 and math up to Calc; email: [email protected]