ALASKA NATIVES COMMISSION
JOINT FEDERAL-STATE COMMISSION
ON
POLICIES AND PROGRAMS AFFECTING
ALASKA NATIVES
4000 Old Seward Highway, Suite 100
Anchorage,
Alaska 99503
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Witness List | PDF
Version
COMMISSIONER TOWARAK: Thank you. Vicky? (Pause.) And you'll state your name and --
MS. HIKESTER: Yeah (indiscernible, away from microphone).
REPORTER: I thought it was Susan.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Susan is after her.
COMMISSIONER TOWARAK: She'll be after Susan -- I mean, Susan's next.
MS. HIKESTER: Hi, my name is Vicky Hikester. I'm Inupiat and -- from Unalakleet; and I am a second-year student at the University of Law -- I mean, Iowa College of Law. They sent me down here recruiting. And I was informed about what was going on at UAA; and, as a former user of NSS -- I like their popcorn (laughter) -- I was very concerned; because it is a place where we can go and talk. We used to meet before logic and talk about what was going on in logic, and did you read the chapter? And if you read the chapter, did you know what you read? And it's a place where we can do it, and people don't feel dumb; whereas, when we sat in class, although there were eight of us who were various type of Alaska Native, no one would say anything -- even me, and I got an A; but I never said a word. I never volunteered to say anything. And most people in there thought I didn't know anything. But I didn't care what they thought; but other people did.
And we need Native Students Services, because it's a place where we can be who we are; where it doesn't matter that not all of us speak English correctly, and our writing skills may not be the best in the world.
I happen to be fortunate that Unalakleet had a really good school system, so I didn't have the problems that a lot of the other students did; but I was able to help other people. They would ask me to proofread their papers and stuff in NSS, and I would do that; and we did that for each other.
And, you know, if I was going to be -- I hated typing. I was always trying to con people into helping me type something up (laughing); and it's a place where we shared and exchanged things that we were good at doing. And we could help each other out.
And I'm really grateful, because it gave me the chance to take logic, so I knew what I was doing when I took the Elstat (ph.) Exam and could go to law school, and I really think it's needed. I'm not as up on what's happening as they are, because I haven't been here; I've been in Iowa.
COMMISSIONER TOWARAK: Where was it, Antioch, or what school?
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Iowa.
MS. HIKESTER: University of Iowa.
COMMISSIONER TOWARAK: Okay.
MS. HIKESTER: And they're recruiting. That's why I'm here.
(Laughter.)
COMMISSIONER TOWARAK: I knew you'd try to plug 'em. (Laughter.)
MR. WILLIAMS: Do they have a real good tutor program down there, or Indian or Native American group that --
MS. HIKESTER: We have the best federal Indian law professor in the country; and we also have an Indian law professor.
MR. WILLIAMS: Go with her (laughing).
MS. HIKESTER: (Laughing.) He's -- but he teaches indigenous -- I mean, international law. He's Indian; he's from southwest; but he's into international law.
Iowa -- the University of Iowa has an excellent international law program. In fact, one of my professors right now is the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, I'm taking international environmental problems from him; and we're talking about the Bering Sea Donut Hole right now, so it's pertinent. And we've talked about whaling. So there are things that they're doing that are pertinent to people in Alaska.
COMMISSIONER TOWARAK: Thank you, Vicky.
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