A crazy opportunity

In January (I know, its been a minute since then), a crazy opportunity came my way, but first, I need to give some context. For those that do not know me personally, I graduated college with an Education degree as I was planning on being a teacher right out of college. Well, life happened and I haven't gotten in the classroom yet. Anyways, Becca and I were discussing our futures and the topic of teaching came up. My grandmother, a retired teacher, has been spending her retired years teaching in rural villages in Alaska. I thought it would be cool to do something like that, but just haven't put in the work or looked into it all that much. Fast forward a couple weeks and I receive a call from my grandmother letting me know there is an opportunity that she is not able to take, so she put my hat in the ring. Literally five minutes after that, I am on the phone with a principal of a school in rural Alaska needing a teacher ASAP. I decided to take the leap. After having the initial conversation on what the opportunity is, and after interviewing, he told me I had FIVE days to pack and get ready before I fly up north. So I did. I arranged a deal with my job to work remotely, we raided stores for winter gear, and I crammed as much teaching material from my college days as I could. Five days pass and I am on a plane heading to Alaska.

Alaska Airlines plane on tarmac at sunset with golden hour light glowing behind aircraft at airport.

Getting There

Now this blog is not meant to go moment by moment, because that would take forever. I will however give the major story beat of this adventure. First, you need to know I was quite nervous and terrified as this was a big, spontaneous, out-of-nowhere adventure that I found myself on. Dropping everything to go teach kids in a rural village in Alaska for five weeks on a moments notice? Crazy.


I stepped off the plane and the FIRST thing I wanted to do was feel how cold it is (ask anybody, I love the cold). I grabbed my baggage and waited for my shuttle outside and man, January in Alaska took my breath away. It was a stupid move for sure, but I am still glad I did it. I now know what cold is... and I like it...


I go to my hotel, and I realize that there are stuffed bears and or wolves in basically every establishment in Fairbanks, which I am all for. The principal himself comes to pick me up the next day and we make our way to Northway, Alaska which is about 4 and 1/2 hours away on the road system. He gives me the rundown on the school and what I will be doing. I started thinking about the job and looked out the window to enjoy the scenery while I could, as I realized that it would be snowing A LOT while I was up there.



A taxidermied grizzly bear display in a museum exhibit with visitors visible in the background.

Cool things that happened

Like I mentioned above, I am not going to write a novel here going into detail on each and every day and moment. So in this section, I will talk about some cool things that happened while I was up there and maybe some cool things that I got to do!


First, I got to teach Math and Art at a school of 50 kids (Pre-K through 12th grade). This was awesome and quite a life changing experience. Teaching multiple subjects in a multi-grade environment did present some challenges and it showed me the true work of teaching, but overall was very rewarding and showed me that I do have what it takes to be a teacher.

Mr. Miller's cluttered classroom desk with Apple MacBook, sunflowers, bookshelf, and American flag in warm light.

My desk while teaching.

Be the school photographer. Not only did I help with their graduation photos, I got to see their world through my lens. All the snowy days, the different cultures, the hyped up basketball games (Northway was damn good, and this is coming from someone who isn't really impressed with basketball), and an outdoor survival class in -30°F weather (yes, it was as cold as it sounds). My camera got to see a lot of cool, once in a lifetime things. My camera also got put through its paces, as I was outside for so long, the LCD screen was literally freezing. This caused a cool ghosting effect where an image would stay on the screen while presenting another image. It was kind of like a double exposure, just my screen was actively dying to do that effect.

Group of people warming hands over a small campfire in snowy winter outdoors setting.

Northway students learning how to build fires as part of an outdoor survival class.

Help teach the community Pickleball. Now this is a village we are talking about here, so a school of 50 kids and enough houses in the surrounding area to house the families. Basketball is huge in these rural villages, and in fact, it is one of the only big events that happen consistently that bring the community together, so it is held on a very high pedestal. The kids love playing basketball and they tend to play any moment they are not in the classroom. With this context, it was very cool to help introduce pickleball to them and watch their interest grow in it. It also was a nice fun way to get me moving around while I was up there, I do love me some pickleball.


I helped lead worship at the local church. This was an opportunity that presented itself to help me get more involved in the community. In areas like this, opportunities like that are huge. I used to lead worship at churches when I was in middle school, so it was nice to use a creative outlet to help out the community in a small way.

A rustic wooden outhouse with a cross on its door stands in a snowy winter forest with frost-covered trees.

Yes, this is an outhouse for the church...

I got to see Canada. Northway is only 40 miles away from the Canadian border, so we took a little road trip so I could see the border. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't what I saw. It was bizarre to see an actual border carved out of the wilderness literally as far as my eyes could see.


I ate Moose and Elk. Moose meat is huge up there. In fact, I learned this while I was up there, a lot of rural Alaska areas have subsistence laws. Basically, they just state that they have more freedoms and less regulations when it comes to hunting for their community and such. With this, the community takes hunting and fishing seriously, often times taking hunting/fishing trips weeks at a time. I got to try moose meat in a soup, and it was okay, a bit tough for me. The elk I had was in a medallion wrapped in bacon, so of course I preferred that. I do think its cool, and I respect the hell out of the hunting and fishing culture in Alaska. One day I will visit to go catch me a big ol' Salmon.


Snow-covered international boundary marker post standing in deep winter snow surrounded by frost-laden spruce trees.

I saw the World Ice Art Championship park. Now this was the day before I flew back and it blew my mind. We are talking huge elaborate sculptures made out of ice, ice tennis tables and put-put courses , big sledding tracks carved out of ice and snow, and watching people actively carve into these massive ice blocks with chainsaws. It was wild. Another breathtaking sight was just seeing these massive pine trees in person. God I love the north and the cold so much.


I got to experience living by myself for 5 weeks. Now this one was hard. Ever since Becca and I have been together, we haven't spent more than 5 days apart, so when this opportunity came my way, I made sure we made the decision of me going together. It would've been unfair otherwise, because not only am I choosing to be by myself for 5 weeks on this adventure, this also caused Becca to be by herself for 5 weeks as well. I had to cook for myself for 5 weeks (Hamburger helper came in clutch), and more importantly, learn how to be content by myself for a long time. We did communicate regularly, but it was a learning experience and in the end made me more confident in my own abilities which I think makes me stronger as a partner.


Person standing in snowy forest with sun bursting through snow-covered pine trees on a bright winter day.

Alaska changed my life

I know it has been months since I was there, but looking back on all this, I truly say that going on a spontaneous adventure as a 25-year-old to teach a rural village in Alaska was life-changing. It gave me a different perspective. I saw a different culture and way of life. I lived that way of life for 5 weeks, and it opened my eyes to how much more to life there is than what I have going on in Oklahoma. It makes me want to take more leaps, to trust myself more, and to take more adventures to experience more of life. It made me realize that my job, my hobbies, my location isn't static or set in stone, and that if I want to have a good and fulfilling life, it is my damn job to determine what that looks like, then go out and achieve it, because no one else will.


I will wholeheartedly say that I miss Alaska. I miss the cold, I miss the snow, but most importantly, I miss the community. Community up there is a different ball game than what I have down here. There is full trust and love, where neighbors truly do help and want the best for each other. I respect that, and I hope I brought a little bit of that outlook back with me, as that is what I will strive for moving forward with my community and loved ones.


Alaska taught me a lot of things and gave me a lot of insight, and hopefully I will be back to visit sooner rather than later.

Serene winter landscape with snow-covered plains, distant mountains, and a pastel pink and blue sunset sky.
Snow-covered winter landscape with evergreen trees, frozen river valley, and majestic mountain range under a blue sky.
Steel arch bridge spans a snowy river valley with pine-covered mountains in winter landscape.
A blue cowboy hat rests on a pile of colorful items in a dimly lit room with dramatic shadows.
Indoor plants on a windowsill with a snowy winter forest landscape visible through the window.
Frosted eyeglasses resting on a car dashboard with a snowy winter landscape visible through the windshield.
Youth basketball team poses for a group photo in a red and white gymnasium with their coach.
Person in winter clothing standing among snow-covered trees in a forest during snowfall.
Smiling basketball player in white jersey holding The Rock basketball toward camera in indoor gym.
A taxidermied grizzly bear display in a museum exhibit with visitors and illuminated storefronts visible in the background.
Snow-covered pine trees under a blue sky with a full moon visible above the winter forest.
A warmly lit teacher's desk with an Apple laptop, sunflowers, and a nameplate reading Mr. Miller.
Black and white photo of basketball players huddling together in a team huddle during a game.
Snow-covered red playground equipment surrounded by frost-laden pine trees under a clear blue winter sky.
Snow-covered trees and frozen lake glow in golden winter sunlight in a serene Nordic landscape.
Man in gray hoodie and black cap writing in notebook while seated by airplane window during flight.
A snowmobile parked beside rustic wooden cabins bathed in golden sunset light during winter.
Snow-laden evergreen trees with rising steam or smoke against a pale winter sky at dusk.
A Steam Deck handheld gaming console propped on a wooden desk beside a mechanical keyboard and mouse.
Basketball coach crouching on court giving team instructions during timeout with scoreboard showing 2:22 remaining.
Vince Lombardi Trophy replica standing in deep snow surrounded by snow-covered evergreen trees on a clear winter day.
A pint glass of golden craft beer on a dark bar counter with a blurred red drink in the background.
Man smiling in front of Welcome to Alaska sign surrounded by snow-covered trees on a sunny winter day.
A rustic wooden outhouse with a cross on the door standing in a snowy forest in winter.
Alaska Airlines plane on tarmac at sunset with golden light illuminating the aircraft at a Pacific Northwest airport.
Three people warming their hands over a small campfire built on snow in winter.
Smiling middle-aged man in a black Patagonia jacket and teal scarf standing in a modern cafe with yellow chairs.
Two trucks parked outside a snow-covered house in a winter landscape with tall evergreen trees in the background.
A large mounted moose head taxidermy displayed on a wooden wall above a framed painting in a lodge.
Two people building an ice maze surrounded by snow-covered pine trees in a winter wonderland setting.
Two people playing a checker-like game on an ice table sculpture outdoors in a snowy winter setting.
Fairbanks airport baggage claim with a vintage yellow plane suspended from the ceiling above the carousel.
People examining large ice blocks during an outdoor winter ice sculpting event surrounded by snow-covered trees.
Intricate ice sculpture of a female figure standing in a snowy forest setting during winter.
Photographer in black winter gear and face mask capturing photos with a professional camera indoors.
A person standing in a snowy forest with sunlight bursting through snow-laden pine trees.
A person shoveling snow in a sunlit backyard surrounded by snow-covered trees in winter.
Two people in winter jackets working on carving a large ice block with tools in a snowy outdoor setting.
Man posing confidently on an ice throne sculpture outdoors in a snowy winter landscape.
A wooden workbench cluttered with handcrafted wooden toys, tools, and wood shavings in a workshop.
Group of people posing outdoors in winter gear in front of the Home of the Northway Warriors sign in snow.