Speakers and honorees

Celebrating the class of 2025

The �ֻ�ֱ�� will honor the Class of 2025 during its 103rd commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 3, at 1 p.m. at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.

Student speaker and student award recipients

The 2025 student speaker and student award recipients will be announced prior to the 2025 commencement ceremony.

Honorary degree recipients

Honorary doctorates will be presented to Larry Bartlett, Hʉkk’aaghneestaatlno Lorraine David, Pauline Hobson and Cautekaq Eva Evelyn Yanez. Honorary doctorates recognize recipients’ lasting contributions to the state and nation, and significant achievements in recipients’ respective disciplines. UAF will celebrate Bartlett, David, Hobson and Yanez at this year’s Honoree Recognition Ceremony on Friday, May 2, at 5 p.m. at the Davis Concert Hall on the Troth Yeddha’ Campus in Fairbanks.

Larry Bartlett

Outdoorsman, medical specialist and communicator

For his research, teaching and communicating about medical physiology and wilderness survival, travel and hunting

Larry Bartlett has employed his medical expertise, passion for outdoor activities and talent for communication to enhance the experiences of countless people by researching, writing and teaching about wilderness medicine, medical physiology and backcountry traveling and hunting.

Mr. Bartlett joined the U.S. Army in 1989 as a combat medical specialist and served in the 1991 Operation Desert Storm. He earned his licensed practical nurse degree in 1995 from the Madigan Army Medical Center in Washington state. After arriving at �ֻ�ֱ��’s Fort Wainwright that year, he worked as a nurse and then managed a surgical procedure unit before leaving the military in 2001. He also earned an associate degree in nursing from the University of �ֻ�ֱ�� Anchorage.

In 1998, Mr. Bartlett founded Pristine Ventures, a company providing �ֻ�ֱ�� backcountry, fishing, hunting and river rafting tours and expeditions. He designed inflatable boats that are now used around the world.

At the �ֻ�ֱ��, Mr. Bartlett has helped teach classes on medical physiology, arctic survival and entrepreneurship. With a UAF researcher, he co-authored manuscripts on the energy dynamics and health benefits of backcountry hunting. He also worked on studies of muscle preservation in humans under metabolic stress.

Mr. Bartlett has shared his medical and outdoor knowledge with the broader public. At a recent lecture, he presented 13 years of his own data on the relationship between environmental conditions and wild meat preservation in remote settings. He and a Fairbanks surgeon taught a wilderness medicine class. He has written three books and multiple articles about backcountry hunting in �ֻ�ֱ��, produced several videos and made numerous presentations.

The �ֻ�ֱ�� is honored to recognize his his contributions to medicine, research and wilderness skills, and confers upon Larry Bartlett the honorary degree of Doctor of Education.

This citation presented during the �ֻ�ֱ�� commencement exercises, May 3, 2025.

Hʉkk’aaghneestaatlno Lorraine David

Teacher, culture bearer and Indigenous language advocate

For her dedication to the teaching of the Denaakk’e language and the preservation of Athabascan traditions and culture

Hʉkk’aaghneestaatlno Lorraine David is a teacher, an administrator, an expert in the Denaakk’e language and a dedicated proponent of Athabascan culture and traditions.

Ms. David was raised in the village of Hughes on the Koyukuk River, where she lived a traditional lifestyle and became fluent in Denaakk’e, the central Koyukon Athabascan language. At age 14, she moved to Fairbanks to attend high school. She worked for several nonprofit, commercial and government entities during the 1970s, then joined the �ֻ�ֱ�� in 1980.

For more than three decades, Ms. David worked at various UAF programs and departments. She served as a Denaakk’e instructor at the �ֻ�ֱ�� Native Language Center and was a program assistant for Upward Bound and the Rural �ֻ�ֱ�� Honors Institute. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UAF in 1999.

In 2011, Ms. David joined the Effie Kokrine Charter School staff for two years to teach Denaakk’e. She then went to work at the Fairbanks Native Association, where she served as the Head Start language director from 2017 to 2024. During that period, she created a dual language classroom program that teaches Denaakk’e to 2- to 5-year-old children. She personally instructed in the classroom and taught the other program staff to speak and teach the language.

Ms. David teaches Denaakk’e on her own time through a language immersion group available not only to people in the Fairbanks area but also those online anywhere. She volunteers her time and expertise to help other such language groups throughout the state of �ֻ�ֱ��.

The �ֻ�ֱ�� is honored to recognize her efforts to teach and revitalize the Denaakk’e language, and confers upon Hukk’aaghneestaatlno Lorraine David the honorary degree of Doctor of Education.

This citation presented during the �ֻ�ֱ�� commencement exercises, May 3, 2025.

Pauline Hobson

Teacher, culture bearer and Indigenous language advocate

For her dedication to the teaching of the Dena’ina language and the preservation of the Indigenous cultures of Bristol Bay

Pauline Hobson is an educator, an expert Dena’ina language speaker and a culture bearer who has dedicated decades of personal and professional effort to cultural preservation and youth empowerment.

Ms. Hobson was born in the village of Nuvendaltun (Nondalton) in southwestern �ֻ�ֱ��.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the �ֻ�ֱ�� in 1974 and a master’s degree in education from Southern Oregon State College in 1983. She taught at schools in Chignik Lake and Nondalton, in the Lake and Peninsula School District, from 1974 to 1994.

Ms. Hobson is revered for her efforts to foster conversations across generations and community collaborations that show people of all ages the importance of language as a way to understand their history and cultivate a positive identity.

For more than two decades, Ms. Hobson has shared her expertise as a Dena’ina speaker and language instructor. She taught conversational and intermediate Dena’ina language courses at UAF and Kenai Peninsula College. She also helped establish the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s Dena’ina Language Institute in Kenai.

Ms. Hobson has participated in the Bristol Bay Native Corporation’s regional culture camps, the Bristol Bay Regional Career Technical Education program’s �ֻ�ֱ�� Native arts courses and the nonprofit Quk’ Taz’un Dena’ina Culture Camp.

More recently, she has served as the Dena’ina language expert for the Iguigig Village Council, part of a broad effort to create sustainable opportunities for students to learn the Indigenous languages of the Lake Iliamna region.

The �ֻ�ֱ�� is honored to recognize her dedication to education and the Dena/ina language and culture, and confers upon Pauline Hobson the honorary degree of Doctor of Education.

This citation presented during the �ֻ�ֱ�� commencement exercises, May 3, 2025.

Cautekaq Eva Evelyn Yanez

Teacher, culture bearer and Indigenous language advocate

For her dedication to the teaching of the Yup’ik language and the sharing of Indigenous knowledge systems

Cautekaq Eva Evelyn Yanez is a teacher, trainer and expert culture and language bearer who has dedicated her time across more than four decades to advancing the Yup’ik language in southwestern �ֻ�ֱ��.

Ms. Yanez was born and raised in Tuyuryaq (Togiak). As a young woman in the mid-1970s, she studied at the Yup’ik Language Center in Bethel. She also worked during that time as a state-recognized expert bilingual teacher in Togiak for the Southwest Region School District, which serves communities on the northern side of Bristol Bay. In 1984, she earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of �ֻ�ֱ�� Fairbanks. She taught elementary school for a decade in Togiak, then became the school‘s bilingual educator through 1999.

Ms. Yanez has translated many traditional Yup’ik stories, including two by the renowned Annie Cungauyar Blue of Togiak. She also collaborated on studies of successful culturally based curriculums to improve the mathematics performance of �ֻ�ֱ�� Native and other students.

More recently, Ms. Yanez has spent almost a decade working with programs to revitalize the unique Lake Iliamna Yup’ik dialect. She helped develop and implement an early childhood language immersion program in the village of Iguigig, where she currently serves as a language consultant for the tribal council.

Ms. Yanez received the 2015 Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley Award from the �ֻ�ֱ�� Native Knowledge Network for her contributions to Indigenous knowledge systems and Native ways of knowing in �ֻ�ֱ��. She also received the 1987 Outstanding Bilingual Educator award from the �ֻ�ֱ�� Association for Bilingual Education.

The �ֻ�ֱ�� is honored to recognize her dedication to the revitalization of the Yup’ik language, and confers upon Cautekaq Eva Evelyn Yanez the honorary degree of Doctor of Education.

This citation presented during the �ֻ�ֱ�� commencement exercises, May 3, 2025.

Meritorious Service Awards

Robert Byrd, Emily Edenshaw, Steve Holmberg and Togi Letuligasenoa will receive Meritorious Service Awards. Meritorious Service Awards recognize significant public, academic, volunteer or philanthropic service to the university or an �ֻ�ֱ�� community. UAF will celebrate Byrd, Edenshaw, Holmberg and Letuligasenoa at this year’s Honoree Recognition Ceremony on Friday, May 2, at 5 p.m. at the Davis Concert Hall on the Troth Yeddha’ Campus in Fairbanks.

Robert Byrd

FOR HIS SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Mr. Robert Byrd is a generous supporter of graduate students’ research at the University of �ֻ�ֱ�� Fairbanks who also takes a personal interest in the success of those students.

Mr. Byrd was educated in marine engineering at the U.S. Coast Guard before graduating from UAF with a master’s degree in ocean engineering in 1972. He then worked on offshore platforms in Norway before earning a doctorate in structural engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1978. He enjoyed a successful career in ocean engineering, specializing in offshore platform decommissioning. He lives outside Houston, Texas.

Mr. Byrd has contributed approximately $57,000 over 13 years to UAF, primarily benefiting graduate students at the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. The Robert Byrd Marine Biology and Oceanography Graduate Support Fund has provided the essential but hard-to-find funding for travel, supplies and contractual services needed by graduate students as they pursue their research.

Mr. Byrd also has demonstrated his sincere interest in the graduate students by traveling to Fairbanks to meet them, a mutually enjoyable experience.

In recognition of his contributions to the success of its students, the University of �ֻ�ֱ�� Fairbanks expresses its deep appreciation to Mr. Robert Byrd and presents him with this Meritorious Service Award. This citation awarding the Meritorious Service Award shall be appropriately engrossed and signed by the chancellor of the University of �ֻ�ֱ�� Fairbanks as further evidence of the esteem and respect in which the university holds Mr. Robert Byrd and conveyed to him on this third day of May, 2025.

Emily Edenshaw

FOR HER ADVOCACY AND SERVICE ON BEHALF OF THE UNIVERSITY

Ms. Emily Edenshaw is an esteemed member of the �ֻ�ֱ�� community who not only advocates for the institution but also is studying for a doctorate.

Ms. Edenshaw, president and CEO of the �ֻ�ֱ�� Native Heritage Center in Anchorage, has an impressive record of board service for nonprofit groups such as the �ֻ�ֱ�� Travel Industry Association, the �ֻ�ֱ�� Humanities Forum, the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness and several other organizations.

Yet she gladly accepted UAF’s invitation to also serve on the committee building support for the Troth Yeddha’ Indigenous Studies Center. Her dedication will ensure that future UAF students have a place that reinforces their sense of identity and belonging.

Ms. Edenshaw was born in Fairbanks and has ancestral roots in the lower Yukon River village of Emmonak, where she is a tribal citizen. She is a shareholder of Doyon Ltd. and the Calista Corp., the �ֻ�ֱ�� Native regional corporations based respectively in Interior and Southwest �ֻ�ֱ��.

As a UAF doctoral student, Ms. Edenshaw is researching �ֻ�ֱ�� Native boarding school history and strategies for healing from the experiences there.

In recognition of her advocacy, the �ֻ�ֱ�� expresses its deep appreciation to Ms. Emily Edenshaw and presents her with this Meritorious Service Award. This citation awarding the Meritorious Service Award shall be appropriately engrossed and signed by the chancellor of the �ֻ�ֱ�� as further evidence of the esteem and respect in which the university holds Ms. Emily Edenshaw and conveyed to her on this third day of May, 2025.

Steve Holmberg

FOR HIS SERVICE AND GENEROSITY ON BEHALF OF THE UNIVERSITY

Mr. Steve Holmberg is an inspiring advocate for music education at the University of �ֻ�ֱ�� Fairbanks and a generous supporter of efforts to provide such tutelage to students beginning at a young age.

Mr. Holmberg grew up in Fairbanks, where he spent summers attending the UAF Summer Fine Arts Camp, a monthlong program then largely taught by UAF faculty. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from UAF in 1989. He and his late wife, Cynthia, then moved to Bellevue, Washington, where he taught music in public schools and she worked for Microsoft.

In 2022, Mr. Holmberg pledged $2.8 million to create the Steve and Cynthia Holmberg Choral Director Endowment for the UAF Department of Music. The endowment is intended to help sustain the sort of summer music programs that Mr. Holmberg enjoyed in his youth.

Mr. Holmberg also returns annually to Fairbanks for a few weeks to participate in what today has become the UAF Summer Music Academy. There, he offers mentorship, leadership and encouragement to the aspiring young musicians.

In recognition of his dedication to the university’s role in music education, the �ֻ�ֱ�� expresses its deep appreciation to Mr. Steve Holmberg and presents him with this Meritorious Service Award. This citation awarding the Meritorious Service Award shall be appropriately engrossed and signed by the chancellor of the �ֻ�ֱ�� as further evidence of the esteem and respect in which the university holds Mr. Steve Holmberg and conveyed to him on this third day of May, 2025.

Togi Letuligasenoa

FOR HIS ADVOCACY AND SERVICE ON BEHALF OF THE UNIVERSITY

Mr. Togi Letuligasenoa is a dedicated supporter of student-athletes and athletic programs at the �ֻ�ֱ��, working tirelessly to connect the university with the community.

Mr. Letuligasenoa attended Lathrop High School in Fairbanks, where he was a varsity athlete, then studied at UAF’s Community and Technical College, majoring in construction management. Today, he works in Fairbanks as president of five subsidiaries of the Calista Corp., the regional �ֻ�ֱ�� Native corporation based in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta area. He oversees operations in oil and gas, marine logistics and construction.

Mr. Letuligasenoa consistently inspires those around him to build a better community. He chairs the Nanook Athletic Alliance, which supports UAF’s athletic programs and is building support for a new on-campus hockey arena. For more than two decades, he has given his time to coach softball and hockey at the high school, competitive and club levels, with some of his teams winning national championships. He also serves on the board of the Rasmuson Foundation, �ֻ�ֱ��’s largest philanthropic grantmaking organization.

In recognition of his service to the university and especially its student-athletes, the �ֻ�ֱ�� expresses its deep appreciation to Mr. Togi Letuligasenoa and presents him with this Meritorious Service Award. This citation awarding the Meritorious Service Award shall be appropriately engrossed and signed by the chancellor of the �ֻ�ֱ�� as further evidence of the esteem and respect in which the university holds Mr. Togi Letuligasenoa and conveyed to him on this third day of May, 2025.