Julia (she/her) travelled over 3,500 miles from her home in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to pursue a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work in Nome, Alaska, as a CVA for the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. After receiving a degree in Biology from Northern Michigan University, the cold temperatures and snow did not deter her from living in this iconic area of the United States. In past positions, she has focused on animal husbandry by providing public chats about river otters at the zoo, trapping and releasing mice and voles for ecological data collection, holding horses for equine veterinary exams, and raising/releasing orphaned harbor seal pups at a wildlife rehabilitation center. She was also heavily involved in research where she helped map duck gut microbiomes, set up cameras to capture images of mountain lions and wolves in Michigan, tracked beavers to their lodges, helped discover 12+ new species of freshwater crabs, and worked with Alaska Fish & Game to identify parasites affecting American Mink. While her passion still lies with wildlife and ecosystems research, as a lifelong volunteer herself, she decided to grow her skills towards this other passion in hopes it will enrich her career opportunities. Julia is excited to not only learn about the local culture and landscape during her workday, but to spend her free time exploring the area, reading about the history, enjoying the skiing, and maybe, just maybe, even try dog sledding. She cannot express her gratefulness to this program and partners for this incredible opportunity and is nothing but excited for the future.