August 15, 2006
Jolene John, Toksook Bay Subregional Clinic Operations Manager
Jolene John, Subregional Clinic Operations Manager
Not long after graduating from high school Jolene John left her hometown of Toksook Bay to earn a college degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Her BA in Rural Development sent her to various jobs around the state. Last April she found herself back in Toksook Bay working for YKHC as the Operations Manager at the Subregional Clinic.
"To come back home after 15 years of absence is really rewarding. I just have this sense that I need to give back to the village that taught me so much about our cultural background and traditional values. Toksook, to me, has always been rich with that sense of community," Jolene said.
While Jolene had not specifically intended to work in Public Health, she found that while working in community and rural development there was no way of avoiding Public Health issues.
"All the past jobs I've had pretty much prepped me to do this. It's really exciting to be home doing this kind of work," Jolene said.
In the year leading up to her move back to Toksook Bay, Jolene was nominated to attend the Emerging Leaders in Public Health Kellogg Fellowship out of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The fellowship brought together a group of people from all different aspects of Public Health and allowed them to learn from each other and work together on projects.
Aside from teleconferences, email and online discussions, the members met three times in North Carolina over the nine-month period.
"YKHC sponsored my trip down the first two times before I was even an employee and then I became an employee and they paid my way down the third time. I've always considered YKHC as my sponsor," Jolene said.
Jolene's journey brought her out of Toksook Bay to obtain skills necessary to help her make positive changes in her hometown.
"Don't be afraid to jump out of your comfort zone. Be willing to explore and take on new interesting things, home will always be where it is. Go out there and absorb everything there is to learn because you can always bring it back home and benefit your community from what you learned and experienced," Jolene said.
"Don't let a rocky path stop you from achieving what it is you want to achieve in life. We all make mistakes and we all grow from them. I've seen too many bright native people quit college because of mistakes they made during their first year."
"Never forget who you are or where you come from. No matter where I'm at I'm telling them I'm Yup'ik from Toksook Bay, whether I am in Alaska or down in the states. It is really important to remember who you are and where you came from because it's going to be your source of strength later on."