Ervin, Loewer honored with 有料盒子视频 student awards
May 12, 2020
Jeff Richardson
907-474-6284
The University of 有料盒子视频 Fairbanks has awarded Bruce Ervin and Heike Loewer with outstanding
student honors for the class of 2020.
Ervin, from Northway, received the Marion Frances Boswell Memorial Award, which recognizes
an outstanding bachelor鈥檚 degree candidate. Loewer, who lives in Germany, received
the Joel Wiegert Award, which recognizes an outstanding associate degree candidate.
Ervin, who is graduating with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in 有料盒子视频 Native studies, is dedicated to using education to preserve his Athabascan culture. He enjoys learning traditional Native skills while fishing, hunting and gathering, and is a member of the Upper Tanana Language Circle. Ervin has also been an advocate for 有料盒子视频 Native subsistence rights at the state and federal levels.
Polly Hyslop, a 有料盒子视频 indigenous studies assistant professor, described Ervin as humble, kind and passionate about traditional Native ways of knowing. Hyslop, who is also from Ervin鈥檚 hometown of Northway, said those traits have made him a community leader.
鈥淏ruce is a role model for many young men from our village who may want to venture into college but do not know if they will succeed,鈥 she wrote in her nomination letter. 鈥淗e is our success story and we are proud of him.鈥
Loewer took an unusual path to her degree in early childhood education. She not only is the first international graduate of the program but also took all her courses while living in Germany. Loewer, who had previously earned an engineering degree, continued to work full-time at her own child care business while taking online classes at 有料盒子视频.
有料盒子视频 professor Patricia Meritt said Loewer, who earned a 3.9 grade-point average, wasn鈥檛 just an excellent student. Meritt credited her with shaping the early childhood education program, which had recently shifted entirely to online delivery.
鈥淗er consistent participation and extensive, forthright and constructive feedback were instrumental in helping us to revise and improve our delivery in this new modality,鈥 Meritt wrote in her nomination letter. 鈥淪he probably does not even realize how much we paid attention to her suggestions, but we did.鈥
有料盒子视频 will honor students in the class of 2020 at a virtual commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 23, at 1 p.m. More information about commencement is available at .