I AM UAA: Emily Tyrrell

B.A. Journalism & Public Communications '12
Hometown: Fairbanks, Alaska
Fun Fact: Related to Sinrock Mary, Queen of the Reindeer, whose history you can read at LitSite Alaska

When Emily Neeley moved back to Fairbanks from South Texas, she fell in love with the first man she met. They were both students at University of Alaska Fairbanks and when the guy with the crystal blue eyes asked her a question at a party, "I told a tiny fib, which was that I liked video games," she says smiling. She just wanted to be next to Jacob Tyrrell. A year later she married her quintessential Alaska guy, a fisherman and hunter from the Bush (300 miles north of Fairbanks) who was pursuing his master's degree in justice. A newlywed Emily and Jake decided to open their home to Emily's sister Holly, then 13 years old, and shortly after had a baby girl, Anya. "Life was really good," says Emily, who decided to put school on hold for awhile to be home for her daughter and her sister.

Today, Emily is the picture of poise-she's stylish and eloquent as she talks about her passion, public relations. She is days away from accepting her bachelor of arts in journalism with an emphasis in strategic communications from UAA. There are no visible marks that show just what a fighter she's had to be.

At 23, Emily was widowed when Jake was killed in a motorcycle accident. Their daughter was 14 months old. With no life insurance and no bereavement leave available through her part-time job, "I had a week to bury him and then back to work," she says. "I was a mess." She went back to work full time to pay bills, moving her small family to Anchorage just a few months after the accident.

"I'd go to work, come home and cry myself to sleep. I felt like I was on autopilot. One night I remember lying in bed thinking, 'Is this it? Is this my life?' And the thought occurred to me, 'Why don't you go back to school, Emily?'" she says. But she brushed it away, thinking instead of bills and kids. A friend helped to change her mind. He told her to think about it one more time. He said, "At the end of the day, the worst thing that will happen is you'll have a college degree. And no one can take that away from you." Young and already too familiar with loss, that concept of having something permanent resonated with her.

She decided to take it one semester at a time and head back to work if she wasn't able to thrive at school. She made the dean's list her first semester. Second semester, more good grades. And then scholarship opportunities arose that allowed her to be both a focused student in her classes and a dedicated mom and sister at home. And, well, we've already given away the ending to this chapter-she'll put on her cap and gown to accept her degree from UAA on May 6.

The story is so far from being over, though. "The decision to go back to school has opened up so many doors for me," Emily says. On the advice of a professor, she joined the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Seawolf Chapter at UAA. She's so glad she heeded the advice. "Where I'm at today, it's because of that club. The relationships I've formed are because of that club. The knowledge, the experience-it's all because of PRSSA." In fact, PRSSA members have been known to field multiple job offers at the public relations conferences they attend, but Emily continues to express her loyalty to a company she met through an internship while at UAA.

Yes, in addition to her full load of classes and her active PRSSA club membership, Emily completed two internships while she was a student at UAA. Her first, an unpaid, year-long internship with Anchorage Police Department, had her writing a press release after viewing a DVD of a grisly murder scene her first day. She went on to plan a ceremony for the survivors and rescuers of the July 2010 light plane crash in downtown Anchorage. Over 50 community members-many civilian and some uniformed-flocked to the burning plane and helped to save four of its five occupants. She says it was gratifying to play a role in honoring heroes. "Hearing [survivors] say, 'I'm able to have this closure now,' I got that." She was honored for her part in planning the special event with a Public Relations Society of America Alaska Chapter Aurora Award.

Emily's second internship, this one paid and quite possibly a big part of her future after graduation, was with Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. "I'm learning about oil and transportation and the industry and really learning about the woman that at first, I didn't know I could be," she says. She's thrilled to be connected with an employer that she says empowers employees. "As I was leaving my employee review, I felt like 'get out of my way, no one can stop me,'" she laughs.

Both Anya and Holly, now ages 6 and 21, have grown up knowing how much Emily values education. They serve as inspiration for Emily, who is proud to report that her sister is now a student at UAA and continuing to achieve her own goals. And her daughter has taken note of the path her mom follows. "My daughter sees me almost every night doing homework or doing something for my club," she says. "Receiving scholarships from UAA allowed me to be the parent I needed to be for her." Anya was recently awarded her own pre-K diploma from the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School she attends and took the opportunity to run over to Emily and say, "Look, Mom, I got my diploma before you did!"

Emily's family has grown in the last year, too. She has gotten to know some of her mom's biological relatives and through that connection, has deepened her knowledge of her own heritage. She is learning along with Anya about their Alaska Native heritage. Raised in South Texas, Emily missed being immersed in the culture of her mother. "I want my daughter to know she's Alaska Native and to be proud of that," she says. They're learning the Pledge of Allegiance in Yupik together through Anya's school. And by building a relationship with the aunt she's met, Beverly Sims, Emily has learned how she is part of the fabric of Alaska through an extensive genealogy that connects her with other strong women like Sinrock Mary.

While Emily hasn't let tragedy break her, it does leave an enduring imprint. "At times it feels like Jake just died yesterday," she says. It will be five years in June. And in June she'll be one month into her M.B.A. at Alaska Pacific University after accepting her B.A. from UAA. "It's bittersweet. It's hard knowing I'm going to walk the stage and Jake's not going to be there." Cheering for her in the audience at the Sullivan Arena, though, will be daughter Anya, sister Holly and aunt Beverly. "You can't let tragedy define you," she says. She has a legacy to honor and the next generation to mold. "Knowing that I am the only parent, I want to give my daughter the best life that I'm able to give her."