I attended a Brock Experience to Alaska. We learned about environmental stewardship issues. We learned about the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline and how it affects people, wildlife and nature, and the economy. My group also learned about the salmon crisis in Alaska. When in Alaska, we interviewed locals, spoke with park rangers, and took pamphlets and newspaper to learn about these issues from the Alaskan peoples perspectives. I learned so much about the pipeline and about the salmon crisis. I feel that I could educate people about the salmon crisis now and help them understand its importance and what it takes to fix the issue. While Alaska is still in the United States, it feels as though you are worlds away. I had never seen mountains like the ones in Alaska before and I was completely awe struck. I had never felt so humbled by nature before. It was fascinating to learn about Alaskan culture as well. The Alaskan people take so much pride in their state and work hard to keep the nature clean and beautiful. They are all incredibly friendly and carefree, as well. Time seems to not exist as strongly in Alaska, because it was a common theme that Alaskans run as whatever pace they feel and do not mind if they are supposedly late to something.

We also learned all about Alaska Native culture. It is still very much alive in Alaska. There are many museums and historical centers dedicated to preserving Alaska Native artifacts and culture. We spoke to many Alaska Natives about their lives, as well. We were in Alaska during their summer solstice, so the sun never went down. I would wake up at 3 am and think it was 7 am because it was so bright in my room. It was a really interesting experience.

We also went on a Kenai Fjords boat tour. This was the most mind-boggling and breath-taking experience of the whole trip. We spent six hours on a small boat touring the waters of Alaska. We saw so much wildlife in their natural habitat. We saw porpoises, a family of orcas, two humpback whales, sea lions, otters, and puffins. We also saw an ice glacier that was incredibly huge and the iciest, most beautiful blue I had ever seen. I was completely in awe and felt so humbled. I realized how small and historically irrelevant humans are in the large scheme. I realized that nature and wildlife are so much stronger than humans are and will outlive humans easily, so we might as well respect them and do our best to protect them. I was so incredibly grateful for this experience and felt that I learned more than I ever could have in a classroom. It was totally life-changing. I feel that I have grown so much as a person and an environmental steward because of my trip to Alaska.

I wrote a narrative style class paper containing the knowledge I learned about the land, salmon crisis, and Alaskan culture. I enjoyed that it was a narrative style because I could write about so many things I had learned about instead of just one. I felt that it helped encapsulate my experience in Alaska. I am including the paper below.