Senior Zeke Young takes a moment between classes to talk about his graduation project, which is creating Tlingit and English language signs to guide people to points of cultural and historic interest in Wrangell.
Zeke Yéeskáa Young always enjoys meeting new people, traveling to new places and learning about different cultures. But he had no idea when moving to Wrangell last year from Port Angeles, Washington, that he'd be helping to sustain a culture.
Young's high school senior project is to create five new signs in Tlingit and English to direct residents and visitors to five Native points of interest.
"When I came up here last year, I needed a fine arts credit," he said. "I was put into Tlingit for my fine arts. At first, I was kind of hesitant. New language, totally new culture, and just history in general. I wasn't sure if I was going to be in there long-term or not."
But, he said, the longer he was in the class, the more he started to love it and his teacher Virginia Oliver. "She's a great teacher, really informative."
Oliver took Young to Celebration in Juneau last year, which was the "big changer" for him. He participated in a dance group and was able to see the Native community come together. The event inspired him to look more into Alaska's history on his own and as part of his history class, specifically Wrangell.
"When we started looking at Wrangell, it seems there was a lot more Native culture around here back in the day," he said. "I thought if I could in some way bring some of that back in some aspect through tourism (I would). It's kind of a field I was interested in and wanted to learn more about it."
The 17-year-old became so dedicated to his Tlingit studies that Oliver gave him his Native name of Yéeskáa, which means "young man."
Oliver said she is helping to "push him along" in his studies and senior project, though she's not directly involved. Young is working with Luella Knapp, a tribal council member with the Wrangell Cooperative Association.
He will make directional signs for Petroglyph Beach, Chief Shakes House, Totem Park, Chief Shakes grave and one other culturally significant site that's yet to be determined. He's planning on making the signs out of sheet metal and then prep them for lettering.
"I'm going to use stencils to put English, then in parentheses, Tlingit, or vice versa," he said. "I want to make sure it's understandable for all. I think it would be interesting so (people) could learn more words in the culture and get more history out of it."
He estimates the project will be done within the next month.
Beyond high school, Young said he's interested in travel and new experiences. He wants to visit as many countries as he can, but in order to afford such a life, he's focused on creating wealth.
"I have a seining gig lined up, make some money there," he said. "I plan on either going into the mining industry right away or I want to get some sort of trade, like electrician or real estate. I'm really interested in real estate. But I want a trade where I can build up some capital to invest."
Specifically, he wants to invest in real estate to rent out and create a steady flow of income. "I've always wanted wealth of some sort, so I put my time into reading books that were ... about wealth and mindset and leadership."
However, Young admitted that his curiosity will probably take him down many avenues.
When it comes to school, he said he won't miss having to adhere to a schedule and being told when and where to be somewhere.
"I'd rather be working," he said. "I just love being on the back deck, traveling around, seeing new faces and new cultures. All I want to do is travel. That's why I want to work for myself."
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