For the globetrotting Geser Bat-Erdene, B.B.A. Finance ’19, every new destination and experience is a new resource for him to use toward the benefit of his home country of Mongolia. During his time as an international student at UAA, he quickly assumed a leadership position with student government as a sophomore, eventually becoming president of the organization his senior year. Geser also founded the Mongolian Student Society, growing the group to be much more than a student club while hosting visiting ambassadors from Mongolia. After earning his degree in spring 2019, Geser moved to Washington, D.C. to become a financial analyst. During his off hours, he co-founded 77Nation, a podcast discussing Mongolian political issues that has grown to have an audience of more than 11,000 listeners. In this episode, Geser talks about the impact his podcast has had on his home country, his approach to enact governmental change through his financial education, and his experiences as an international student.

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Seawolf Voices #4 - Geser Bat-Erdene

Inspired by a particularly impactful guidance counselor he had during his high school years in Olympia, Washington, Vincent Feuilles, A.A.S. Human Services '19, knew he wanted to become a counselor. 

After moving to Wasilla, Vincent began taking classes at UAA through the Mat-Su College, earning his associate of applied science in human services in 2019, with a bachelor of human services on the horizon and plans to continue on to earn a master of social work.

Despite the work ahead of him, Vincent isn’t waiting to make an impact, founding both Authentic Beginnings, a counseling business specializing in substance misuse and name and gender marker changes, as well as the Queen’s Guard, a charity supporting LGBTQ youth. 

More recently, Vincent is organizing the first Pride Festival in Wasilla, scheduled to take place on Sunday, July 11, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Snider Memorial Park. 

Attendees can keep up to date through Facebook: https://bit.ly/3xap7nP

Vendor applications can be submitted via Google Forms: https://bit.ly/3zc832y

In this episode, Vincent talks about the challenges faced by the LGBTQ community that he’s working to address, what led him to pursue human services and social work, and how to create an inclusive environment.

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Seawolf Voices #5 - Vincent Feuilles

Responding to the University of Alaska’s drastic state-funded budget reductions for FY2019-20, the Board of Regents voted in September 2020 to discontinue UAA’s hockey, gymnastics and Alpine skiing programs unless the teams could successfully raise two years of funding to cover operating expenses. With gymnastics and Alpine skiing meeting their goals, eyes are now on Seawolf Hockey, which so far has raised $2.59 million of its $3 million goal ahead of the Aug. 30 deadline.

In addition to a recent upswell of support from the NHL’s Seattle Kraken team, two former Seawolf hockey teammates — Brian “Krafty” Kraft, marketing alumnus and the owner of two Alaska fishing lodges, as well as Steve “Bogie” Bogoyevac, who studied business management and real estate and is the senior managing director of a California real estate investment firm — have each donated $50,000 to Save Seawolf Hockey. They are encouraging other UAA alumni to contribute, offering to match donations up to another $50,000.

In this episode, Brian and Steve talk about how they arrived in Alaska from Chicago and California, respectively, how their time playing hockey at UAA has impacted their lives today, and why they think it’s important to continue paying it forward. 

Donate to Save Seawolf Hockey: https://bit.ly/3CyNCOX

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Seawolf Voices #6 - Brian Kraft & Steve Bogoyevac

Wesley Early has had a lifelong fascination with the stories that reside in each of us, and that fascination is what led him to a career in broadcast journalism. After graduating from UAA with a bachelor's in journalism and public communications, Wesley jumped right into the industry, working for Alaska Public Media in Anchorage as a web editor, nightly news producer and education reporter. In 2019, Wesley moved to Kotzebue, Alaska, a rural community with a population of about 3,200 to become director of the local news station, KOTZ. In this episode, Wesley talks about his favorite stories, how UAA prepared him to enter the field and his experience establishing a journalism presence from the ground up.

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Seawolf Voices #1 – Wesley Early

Economics alumnus Justin Doll has an appreciation for the way complex systems work, starting as an interest in STEM fields when he was younger. As Doll grew older, that focus shifted toward business and public policy, leading him to UAA and eventually to the University of Alaska Southeast to earn his Master of Public Administration. While pursuing his education, he took on a job at the Anchorage Police Department and found his calling, staying with the department for the last 24 years, culminating in his current position as chief of police. In this episode, Justin talks about his nontraditional student trajectory, how he discovered his passion for public service and the importance for law enforcement to maintain a dialogue with the community.

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Seawolf Voices #2 - Justin Doll

Helping people was always a calling for Celeste Hodge Growden, A.A. General Program ’92, B.S.W. Social Work ’96, and she does exactly that through her advocacy for racial equity and systemic change. After obtaining her degree from UAA, she joined the Anchorage chapter of the NAACP, first as vice president, and eventually as the chapter's longest-serving president. In 2019, Celeste became president and CEO of the Alaska Black Caucus, which was followed by a year that saw the entire country grappling with the issues she has worked her whole life to address. In this episode, Celeste talks about partnering with the community to tackle these big issues, the necessary work that still needs to be done, and how her organization has partnered with her alma mater to help train the next generation of social workers.

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Seawolf Voices #3 - Celeste Hodge Growden

Connecting UAA alumni across #SeawolfNation, more than 60,000 strong.

Seawolf Voices is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Google Podcasts, Audible and Amazon Music.

UAA Alumni Association

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