I am originally from St. Mary’s and belong to the Algaaciq Tribe. I started working twenty-six years ago when I worked as an Itinerant Alcohol/Mental Health Counselor for the Kuskokwim Native Association villages based in Aniak. My journey in social services includes service care in Bethel, St. Mary’s, Marshall, Emmonak, Sitka, Anchorage and most of the villages located in the Kusilvak Census Area. My experiences have brought me full circle-returning to work at AVCP as the ICWA (Child Welfare) Director.
My holistic approach to service delivery is strengthened by my experience serving in various administrative service roles where my mentors encouraged me to work in partnership with other organizations to provide much needed social services focused on individual, family and community wellness initiatives. My skills include grants management, grant writing, strategic planning, training/technical assistance, project management and collaboration building. I’ve belonged to various task forces, protection teams, committee teams and board memberships.
I am happy to serve on the Alaska Mental Health Consumer Web Board because I want to make a difference in the lives of people by utilizing my skills in capacity building. As a Yup’ik person, I know that when we have the support of our peers, and our community-we are able to achieve greater things, and I see this success when I visit the Web. Thank you very much for this opportunity.
-Quyana
