Each semester at UAA, students from various colleges and majors collaborate with professors to help them achieve success with community engagement projects. Community Engaged Student Assistants, also known as CESA students, play a vital role in conducting research and connecting UAA to the greater Alaska community.
In 2012, the University of Alaska Anchorage student Asian Pacific Islander Community Wellness Club (APICWC), Master of Public Health (MPH) students and students from the School of Nursing gathered to make a historic change on the university's campus. They wanted UAA to go smoke- and tobacco-free. For the next two years, collaborative efforts from many groups across campus came together to petition USUAA to place a smoke- and tobacco-free referendum on the student January 2014 ballot.
Public health professionals – such as epidemiologists, health educators, environmental scientists, and healthcare managers – enjoy careers that are integral to the very survival of the medical field, while avoiding the stress and incredible time commitment that doctors and other practitioners face. The rise of online education has made earning an MPH degree even more convenient. Plus, the nature of public health programs, which include coursework in topics like administration, biostatistics, and disease prevention rather than hands-on labs or residencies, is easily transferable to the distance education format.
As a sophomore on UAA's Nordic team, Casey Wright leads the 'Skiwolves' in classic skiing. And as a member of Australia's national ski program, she represents her homeland at international competitions like the Junior World Championships in Utah and the Asian Winter Games in Japan (and maybe, just maybe, next year's Winter Olympics, too).
In February, UAA junior Kendra Daniels capped the University of Alaska Anchorage Gymnastics Team’s best performance of the season with a school-record 9.9 score on beam as the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves competed against UC Davis. Meet Kendra.
