Leaving home is one of the biggest steps a young adult takes, and it's definitely not an easy one. There are so many possibilities, and so many things to take into consideration. Students have to think about money, opportunity, adjusting to a new social scene, and of course, their education. Service High School Senior Brandon Howe says the transition isn't easy:
“I think a, some kids don't think about it as much. If their parents are rich enough, you know, but uh, everybody goes through it. Their senior year is very stressful, their plan for college and most of the people have jobs. Between balancing school and work, and uh, all the stresses of life, it gets to much, but uh, people handle it.”
A college bound high school senior in Anchorage basically has 3 options. 1) Leaving the state for school, 2) Attending a tiny private college, like Alaska Pacific University, or 3) entering into the University of Alaska System. Each option has it's own advantages and disadvantages. However in recent years, the state has done a lot to make that third one more appealing.
The UA Scholars Program, offers a full-ride scholarship to any Alaska senior in the top 10 percent of his or her high school class. According to the University of Alaska Anchorage, in 2004, 55 percent of teens offered the scholarship chose to attend a UA school. The state hopes this increase in UA attendance by Alaska's most promising youth will slow the “brain drain” and improve the quality of Alaska's job force.
Service High School Senior Brian Rosenberg will be attending UAA next fall.
“A lot of it has been that uh, now the school system offers a program that I feel I would enjoy. They didn't used to offer engineering in any way but they have a new program that's supposed to be very good. So I decided to stay here. It's less expensive also.”
There are also some advantages to being in a state with a small population: teens have more quality opportunities, allowing them to practice their chosen fields even before they get to college. Many successful Alaskans say that helped them become what they are today. Anna Maria Mottola, a pianist in the President's Own Marine band graduated from Service in 2000.
“I think it gave me advantages actually because, I found myself getting a lot of individual attention and being pushed really hard so that I would have the absolute best opportunities, the same opportunities that anyone would have growing up any place in the country. So I would say that growing up in Alaska for me was a definite advantage.”
Another advantage of growing up in Alaska is the fact that many professionals offer internships and hands on experience to high school students. The Anchorage Daily News publishes Perfect World, a weekly teen written section.
Marty Beckerman, a former Perfect World writer has since moved to Washington D.C. He is now an author whose books have been published by Simon and Schuster and MTV Books.
“ I wouldn't be where I am now if I hadn't had Perfect World to experiment with as a training ground.”
In larger markets, opportunities to work with a largely distributed newspaper, at the local news station or play with the symphony are harder to come by.
On the flip side, Beckerman says the smaller market can get too small.
“Well, I was interested in being, really, really successful…but you can't be big in Alaska.”
And in some areas, the state just can't compete. Take sports. While UAA offers opportunities in basketball, hockey and other sports, it cannot compete with NCAA powerhouses in the lower 48. This lack of athletic programs deter many of Alaska's top athletes, from entering the UA system, like former NFL player and Service High School graduate Mark Schlereth,
“I never even considered them, I mean, there was nothing, you couldn't consider them because none of them had a football program…I would not be able to pursue my dream of playing collegiately, and also, you know, playing hopefully professionally. So I knew those things weren't an option for me.”
There are many aspects that set Alaska apart. From its looming mountains to its somewhat unique social scene, the state is like no other in the Nation. Again, Marty Beckerman,
“It wasn't weird when you grow up there. It's your reality, it's everything you know. Everything about Alaska the scenery and just the weather the light and everything, and the people who live there, is kind of a bizarre thing.”
Maybe Alaska's youth aren't so different in thinking that leaving the state might be a good option. Troy Christianson is a teacher at South Anchorage High School.
“I think that everybody has a tendency through, even if you look back throughout history, American expansion, that people don't have a tendency to want to grow, to stay in the place that they grew up, that they want to have a chance to go out and see other parts of the world, and a chance to make it in other parts of the world. So, its just a tendency that people in the United States have always had as long as our country existed.”
So the next time someone speaks of a statewide, “brain drain”, just think. The migration of Alaska's young people out of state might have little to do with current policy. It's more of a tendency for young people to want to grow up and explore things on their own. They'll consider whatever opportunities they can find, no matter what the location.
Getting Out of Alaska
