Alaska
Mariah Acton

University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Mariah Acton is a junior at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she is studying political science with a minor in global science and environmental studies.  She was born and raised in Vancouver, Washington, where she enjoyed a mix of rural farm life and Portland culture.  Mariah is a third generation dairy goat breeder and with her mom’s great assistance has continued to operate her nationally-ranked LaMancha herd even while away in Alaska, because of the goats she has traveled to 25 states in the last ten years.  Thanks to a Washington-state program called Running Start, Mariah was able to go to Clark College when she was 16 years old and graduated with both her high school diploma and her Associate’s degree simultaneously.  She has served in various student governance roles throughout her college life, as well as serving a term as a Clark County Youth Commissioner.  At UAF she has worked for the last two years as the Leadership Program’s Student Organizations Coordinating Assistant, where she has worked with over 120 different student groups, as well as faculty advisors, administrators, and community members.  She is a member of multiple Honor Societies and is also active in Model United Nations, Amnesty International, Sustainable Campus Task Force, and Latin Dance Club.  For her 2008 spring break she spent a week working and learning about homelessness and hunger prevention in Washington, DC.  Outside of school and work, she enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, playing tennis, dancing, baking, and traveling.  In the near future, she hopes to attend grad school for a Master’s International degree, where she will be able to combine academic research with a Peace Corp tour focused on sustainable development.