Elliott, who is a Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich’in Tribal Government tribal member, is a recent graduate of Effie Kokrine Charter School; he participated in TCC GO from his sophomore year until he graduated. Elliott grew up in Dillingham, Virginia and Tennessee before moving to Fort Yukon at the beginning of 5th grade. During the spring semester of his sophomore year in 2020, he moved to Fairbanks – two weeks before the state shut down for COVID. Remote learning during the COVID pandemic made his junior year miserable. For his senior year, he transferred to Effie Kokrine and found this to be a great experience – he enjoyed having competent teachers and great students in his classes.
Elliott participated in TCC GO throughout his sophomore, junior, and senior years of high school. As a junior, he completed a UAF Visual Storytelling course (sponsored by TCC GO). During his senior year, he participated in the TCC GO Career Explorers program – a partnership between UAF, Effie Kokrine Charter School and TCC to provide high school students with career exploration and professional development courses for dual credit. Elliott feels that this program was helpful. He was able to meet with folks in various careers, learn to communicate professionally and how to prepare a resume – he especially liked the team building exercise at Arctic Sun VR.
Elliott also participated in RAHI (Rural Alaska Honors Institute) at UAF after he graduated from high school in May. He stated that this was a new experience as he had never had a roommate before or lived away from home. He did not know what to expect but wanted to get an idea about what it was like to live on campus while also taking college courses. While at RAHI he made some good friends, had access to some passionate and good professors, and learned what to expect when he started UAF in the fall. His experience with RAHI helped him learn the structure of classes and the layout of campus, unlike many other freshmen at the university. Elliott recommends RAHI and TCC GO to any high school student who wants to get an idea about what college will be like.
Elliott is attending UAF where he is pursuing a B.S. in Biological Sciences. He is enjoying his classes and, due to his work with TCC GO, Career Explorers and RAHI, has more credits on his record than the average freshman. Elliott has plans to attend pharmacy school after he finishes his degree.