Community Spotlight: Tammalivis Salanoa

Tammalivis first connected with the Alaska World Affairs Council as a high school student, when a history teacher introduced the organization during a world history unit. Students were offered extra credit to attend a speaker event. She went—and kept going.

What began as a classroom incentive quickly became something more. Through those events, she found direct access to global perspectives and individuals she otherwise wouldn’t have encountered. It was an early entry point into understanding international issues not as distant concepts, but as active, ongoing conversations.

The Council continues to shape how she approaches global education today. Her experience as a student scholar helped her better understand the United States’ role in a broader global system—and how decisions made across borders influence everything from trade to economic outcomes. It also underscored the importance of collaboration and approaching issues with an awareness of their complexity and interconnectedness.

At a time when global headlines can feel constant and overwhelming, Tammalivis points to the value of informed perspective. Hearing directly from individuals involved in global decision-making, she says, has helped bring context to complex issues and made them feel more navigable.
Having experienced AKWorld as both a student and a volunteer, she encourages others to get involved in whatever way they can. “Why not?” she says. “You have nothing to lose but the world of knowledge to gain.” For her, the organization offers a rare opportunity—one that makes global learning accessible regardless of age or background.

One of her most memorable experiences was traveling to Washington, D.C., for a national conference, where she connected with other student scholars from across the country. The relationships she built there have lasted well beyond the event itself, offering a sense of continuity and shared purpose.

Looking ahead, she’s particularly interested in global climate issues affecting the Pacific, including environmental change and mineral extraction—topics with clear relevance for Alaska. If given the opportunity to bring a global voice to the state, she would choose Greta Thunberg, noting the potential impact on youth engagement around Arctic and climate-related challenges.

For Tammalivis, doing this kind of work from Alaska carries its own significance. She points to the state’s long-standing role as a global transit hub—historically and today—as a reminder that Alaska has always been more connected to the world than it may seem.

We’re grateful to have Tammalivis as part of the AKWorld community. Her journey reflects how a single moment of exposure can grow into long-term engagement and how global awareness can take root close to home.