October 11, 2010

Trust
Written by: Missy Gumlickpuk, Student Support Advocate, Education Resource Center/Begich Middle School

I grew up in a small remote village on the Nushagak River. The population was always around 500 or so, and everyone knew everyone. I remember a girl, and her name was Jenny. She achieved both academically and athletically. In junior high she was golden; captain of the Jr. High basketball team and a straight A student. She got a lot of praise, which boosted her ego even more. High school came, she was a freshman and was excited to travel and participate even more in sports. Her basketball and volleyball coach was not only her mentor but also her role model. Jenny was fascinated that her coach played college volleyball and wanted the same dream only it was for basketball. She had a great year! The year ended with her receiving awards such as “Female Athlete of the Year” and “Outstanding Student.”

Summer came and she vowed to herself and her coach that she would stay in shape. Midway through the summer, she met a girl that was a total opposite. The girl’s name was Kathy. She was older and bossy. They would hangout and stay up late, and Jenny would sleep all day waking up with no energy to exercise. At that point she totally stopped! Her coach came back for another school year and was excited to begin volleyball. At the practices she noticed that Jenny wasn’t giving her best, stopped talking to her and would not show up every once in a while. So she decided to have a serious chat with Jenny after practice one day.

The coach reinforced how much talent and drive Jenny had, how she can dominate not only in school but also on the court, how she can be a great role model for all the little girls, and that she believed in her. At that moment, Jenny saw in her coach’s eyes, trust. After that day, Jenny remembered to always trust herself. She realized the truth, that if she pushed herself and believed in herself she can be anything she wanted.

Trust is a very important Alaska Native value. Always trust yourself, family, community, and never let anyone or anything come into your way of achieving your goals.