Keiren Fitka

Keiren has been working since age 14 and sought out opportunities to connect with his Yupik, Inupiaq, and Athabascan cultures. This includes being an Alaska Native Heritage Center intern, Raise Program intern, and Ilakucaraq program participant. In these settings, Keiren applies himself, builds bonds with other participants, and learns as much as he can. He continues to look for programs to expand his knowledge and is currently taking welding and aviation classes.

Keiren currently lives in Anchorage but stays connected to his family’s home community of Marshall. He understands the challenges of rural Alaska and is actively making a difference by meeting with politicians in Alaska and Washington DC to advocate for foster youth and their medical needs, for sexual assault victims, and for increased quality rural housing. He also serves as a positive role model for and caretaker of his foster siblings. Keiren shows youth voices matter and that involving themselves in their communities can happen in many different ways.

Home Town Anchorage
School District Anchorage School District
Award Category Humanitarian, Role Model