By Allison Sayer

Tvetene Carlson was born and raised in Cantwell. He is now a PhD student at the University of California Berkeley doing cutting edge research related to how diseases including coronavirus can be transmitted in indoor spaces. Specifically, he is studying the movement of droplets in the air.

I had a chance to speak with Carlson on April 13. I wanted to learn more about how his involvement with the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) program helped him to get to where he is today. I also wanted to know if he had any advice for kids currently in high school or middle school in the Copper Valley.

Carlson got involved in ANSEP when he was in middle school. His mother, who was the school secretary, noticed an advertisement that ANSEP had sent the school and suggested that he check it out.

“ANSEP got me in the loop,” he said. He participated in camps during high school summers, and was heavily involved during his university undergraduate studies. Carlson said, “The thing that ANSEP did for me above all else - they gave me scholarships, and they gave me a computer which was very nice - the thing that really helped me was getting an academic friend group together. At my high school plenty of people were good at math, but no one was really ‘into it.’ It was nice to be able to go to these camps and find people that were interested in these things that I could talk with. They could help me with classes and help me think, ‘Hey, I can take these classes.’”

“My first two semesters of college were rough,” said Carlson, “transitioning from Cantwell with people I had known my entire life to living in Anchorage.” He said he did not have any close friends at the time, but at least there were other students at the University of Alaska who he had met through the camps that he could recognize. They were “all going through the same things.” Over the course of Carlson’s time at college, they became close. “I think I would have made it through without them,” said Carlson, “but I would not have been as successful.”

Carlson also appreciated that “People know about Native issues within ANSEP. They know about communities and lifestyle. For example, Ahtna people do not live on the same land and have the same issues as Yup’ik people. It’s nice not to be in a space where all the Natives are lumped together. We’re united, but all those differences are acknowledged.”

After college, Carlson went on to a combined Master’s/PhD program at the University of California Berkeley, and his college friends went to schools all over the country. They have remained in touch, and Carlson said he speaks to at least one of his college friends every week.

Carlson received his master’s degree last year and is in the early stages of his PhD research.

In the future, Carlson hopes to study infrastructure projects for remote communities, especially related to water or wastewater systems and alternative energy. Carlson said, “I do specifically want my research to benefit Alaskan communities because they are the ones who made me. I’d like to make that corner of the world better. I believe any of the work that I do to help our Alaskan communities can also be used elsewhere in the world, at least I hope it can be.”

I asked Carlson if a student could still be involved in ANSEP activities who had gotten some bad grades during school. He said, “They’re not trying to be Harvard to get everyone to apply just to say no to them. They want all students to succeed. If you’re interested in learning, ‘practicing college,’ and want to know more about science and engineering I’d say apply. I know a lot of people who weren’t in the top tier of high school that have successfully gotten their engineering degrees. It did take them a bit of effort to get through the classes, but the thing that really made it for them was finding that community, finding those students you like and who you can work with. They can help you with their knowledge and you can teach them yours.”

Whether they are into science and engineering or not, Carlson thinks high school students should know, “I wasn’t planning on this project. I wasn’t planning on a pandemic! That’s a theme I noticed: A lot of people stumble into their research. No one I know had a ten-year plan. For high school kids who are being told, ‘What’s your life plan? What do you want to do for the next 40 years?’ you don’t need that much of a plan. It’s good to have a few bullet points, some distant goal you can aim for, but that is not the end all be all.”

Carlson continued, “You’re allowed to stumble and fall, and if you find an opportunity, take it. You don’t need to be perfect. Everyone I’ve talked to had stumbling moments, bad semesters, failed a class. They picked themselves up. The people around you should want you to succeed if they’re doing their job well. Find the people that will support you and you can do great things.”

Finally, Carlson shared that one specific program was not necessarily for everyone. “I completely ran away with ANSEP,” he said, “My sister tried the middle school academy. She only did it once. It wasn’t her cup of tea and that’s alright. She just got her degree in history and got accepted into multiple law schools. You’re free to try one path and decide it’s not for you and take another. You can still do plenty of other good things. You have your family; you have your community. They will be there for you if you need them. Just try things.”