Student Profiles
Read about what our students have to say.
Albert White
Albert White has seen the benefits of a secondary education almost immediately after starting his college career.
After building his way up to a management position through his own "street smarts," for Cape Fox Tours, he took a business class from UAS on the recommendation of his employer, and has ended up pursuing a Bachelor's in Business Administration with an emphasis in Project Management. The benefits he gained through taking business classes from Tim Ewest, an instructor whom Albert considers the best he's ever had, were invaluable. He feels that he gets more out of the classes with Tim Ewest because of the energy that he puts into it. It makes him want to learn more.
From the tools gained in a class on small business management, Albert was able to manage a full staff of fifty as well as recognize weak points in himself and the business and strengthen them. "It wouldn't have been a successful season without that class," says the thankful Operation Manager of Saxman Native Village. Through using the Balanced Scorecard, which deals with total quality management, he was able to "deal with personal issues" and save the company 100,000 dollars.
Using the tools from the classes he's taken at UAS not only helped Albert gain success personally, but also helped the company be more successful.
Gilbert Benge
Since leaving high school with his GED, Gilbert Benge has started out on the bottom of the ladder and worked all the way to the top. "I've gone about as far as I can go without an education," says the mayor of Saxman, once in the Coast Guard, a diesel mechanic, licensed electrician, and now student counsel president at UAS Ketchikan.
Being mayor of Saxman, a native village just outside of Ketchikan, has left him little time for the classes he'd like to take. He still manages to attend part-time as he works towards his Bachelor of Arts in Business with an emphasis in accounting, and Certified Manager's Program.
His goal is to take his degree into the field, specifically with the state of Alaska in the Department of Commerce for rural development and economics.
