Amelia Topkok

Uvana atiga Ahnaughuq. My Iupiaq Eskimo name is Ahnaughuq, which means Little Girl. I am named after my paternal ahna (grandmother) Katherine Koiyuk (Eningowuk) Barr of Shishmaref. My English name is Amelia Katherine (Barr) Topkok, but everyone calls me Amy. My family comes from Shishmaref, Kotzebue, and Noatak, Alaska. I speak Norwegian, limited Inupiaq, and grew up with English. I currently am the Reporting and Outreach Coordinator of the BLaST program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. I have been a Cross-Cultural Studies Masters student since 2013 and plan to graduate in Fall 2017. I am part of the Pavva Inupiaq Dancers, a local Native dance group, non-profit 501 (c)(3) since 1999. I volunteer in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District (FNSBSD) Alaska Native Education Title VII grant Parent Advisory Committee and firmly believe in providing positive and enlightening opportunities for our Native Youth of today. I am a proud parent of three sons, and one grandson.