I made it to Cordova!
Senator Olson's office gave me Thursday and Friday off of this week, so I decided to come and see where my boyfriend grew up and meet his family. It's a gorgeous place so far, lots of water and mountains. We camped last night on Eyak lake in a bare minimum cabin and near froze to death.
This work week was eventful even though it was short. What may be the highlight of my experience was getting to witness the Governor sign the first piece of legislation this year. I got to research HJR 15/SJR 12 which is a resolution that gets legislation support for ANCSA contaminated lands given by the federal government. It's a resolution important to me and one that I thoroughly enjoyed working on. Representative Millett and two of her staffers, and Senator Olson and I were invited to watch the official signing. Proceeding the signing, Representative Millett insisted we get a "selfie" picture with the Governor and he agreed. She sent it to Ellen Degeneres in hopes of getting it on tv.
I also went to a couple of events in which Senator Begich spoke about issues in Alaska. I admire him for his work on behalf of Alaska Natives and everything he's accomplished. I want to look into working for him in Washington DC so I can learn more about processes and procedures on a national level.
Since I've gotten to Juneau my eyes have really opened and I feel like if I want to serve the Native community, that this might make the biggest difference during my career path. I'm so thankful for First Alaskans giving me the opportunity and for placing me in a rural office so I can focus on issues that Natives face now and in the future. Without going through this experience I never would have learned as much about the political process in Alaska and ways I can get involved in the future.
Thank you First Alaskans staff and board members!!!
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