Alumni After Hours:
Exploring Alaska’s Culture Through Travel and Community Stories
A Conversation with Maria Mirova
Alumni After Hours is an initiative of the Connexions Alumni Council, created to bring alumni together for informal conversations, personal stories, and shared learning. For this session, we invited Maria Mirova to talk about what inspired her recent trip to Alaska and what she discovered along the way.
Earlier this year, Maria set out to explore traces of Russian heritage in Alaska and meet the communities who help preserve local history and language. During the event, she will reflect on the experience and offer a look into the places and people she encountered.
We will learn about:
A summer route from Sitka to the Kenai Peninsula, visiting historical sites and speaking with local communities.
Encounters with residents, including descendants of Old Believer families and educators working with bilingual children.
A visit to a multicultural public school in Anchorage and informal conversations with teachers and students.
Meetings with community organizers and cultural center representatives engaged in cultural preservation work.
Maria will also share how the trip shaped her interest in documenting personal histories and working with young people on joint storytelling initiatives. One outcome is a Russian–American youth project developing a bilingual book about early explorers and historical figures connected to Alaska.
You will hear a firsthand account of an unusual journey, learn about a lesser-known chapter of Alaskan history, and explore how curiosity and community-level engagement can open space for dialogue.
About the Speaker:
Maria Mirova is a community organizer with an interest in cultural history, storytelling, and people-to-people connections. She recently participated in an exploratory trip to Alaska focused on researching local heritage and meeting community groups.
Register:
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