See Stories was founded as a nonprofit in 2019 by a dedicated and diverse Board on the premise that representation matters, that Alaskan youth are uniquely equipped to share authentic local histories through film making and podcasting, and that empowering youth with media literacy is a vital skill in today’s world.

Student Workshops

See Stories leads documentary film and podcast workshops with diverse teens throughout the state to craft new stories via podcasting and filmmaking that better represent the Alaska they know at no cost to the students. In media workshops, youth choose topics they are passionate about, interview peers, family, and community members, then edit their footage into a film or podcast that they share at a celebratory community showcase. We work at Title I Schools throughout the state, and also work with adjudicated youth.

Educator Workshops

See Stories engages educators in free, virtual and in person workshops where they learn to lead multimedia projects in their classrooms. We offer 3 – 5 teacher workshops annually in which teachers not only learn vital media skills, but also earn credit through the University of Anchorage, Alaska PACE (Professional & Continuing Education) Program. We have worked with hundreds of educators from dozens of communities across the state.

See All Workshops

Awards

2022 Outstanding Public History Projects Award

See Stories won an Honorable Mention for the 2022 Outstanding Public History Project Award for our project The Forgotten Slavery of Our Ancestors. This documentary film that See Stories produced with the Southern Poverty Law Center on the history of enslavement of Indigenous People on what is now known as the United States was Directed by Howdice Brown III (Iñupiaq) and co-produced Alice Qannik Glenn (Iñupiaq).

NCPH Award

2016 National Arts and Humanities Youth Programs Awards

See Stories led an annual film workshop at the Kodiak History Museum (then known as the Baranov Museum) over the course of five years that was awarded the NAHYP Award, known as the Nation’s highest honor for out-of-school arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of America’s young people. See Stories Founder / Director and then student Rafael Bitanga received the award at the White House from Former First Lady Michelle Obama.

NAHYP Award Ceremony

Special Projects

Workshops with Adjudicated Youth

See Stories has an ongoing partnership with McLaughlin Youth Center, an Anchorage based school and facility for adjudicated youth. The students at McLaughlin have inspired us to apply our mission to build inclusive communities with film and story in new ways beyond film and podcasting, so that in addition to documentary film workshops we lead hip-hop and Shakespeare workshops. Students study Shakespeare and create original hip-hop songs inspired by Shakespearean themes that intersect with their own lives, ranging from betrayal to jealousy, and from racism to redemption. While films and songs cannot be shared to protect student privacy, students challenged See Stories’ director to create her own hip-hop song which you can listen to here.

Adjudicated Youth

Production of Award-Winning Documentary “The Forgotten Slavery of Our Ancestors”

See Stories occasionally produces a professional film when in service of our mission to build inclusive communities with film and story. We are proud of producing The Forgotten Slavery of Our Ancestors in 2020 on behalf of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s education wing Teaching for Justice (formerly known as Teaching Tolerance), which you can watch here. This film provides an introduction to the history of enslavement of Indigenous Peoples in what is now known as the United States, and is geared to an audience of educators so they can better teach this subject to their students. Award-winning Iñupiaq filmmaker Howdice Brown III Directed this film, and Coffee and Quaq Podcast founder Alice Qannik Glenn (Iñupiaq) co-Produced the film.

The Forgotten Slavery of our Ancestors poster

Land Acknowledgement

See Stories is based in Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage is located within Dena'ina Ełnena, the traditional homelands of the Dena'ina Athabascan people. Learn more about land acknowledgements at native-land.ca.

Staff

Marie Acemah

Marie Acemah

Founder & Director

Marie (she/her) is a mama, educator and dreamer who is obsessed with blueberry picking, impromptu living-room dance parties, and the light in a young person’s eyes when they feel seen and heard. With a desire to become an educator outside of traditional settings, she applied the skills she had gained delving into her Alaskan, Midwestern and Scandinavian story to support youth in exploring their own stories through film. That initiative has now grown into See Stories. Marie lives on Dena’ina Land.

Alicia Sharp

Alicia Sharp

Communications Coordinator

Alicia (she/her) is an educator and creative who is passionate about her faith, family, nature, education, and dark chocolate. She is curious, compassionate, and creative, and has worked in Alaska and internationally sharing stories through photography and writing. As Communications Coordinator, Alicia manages See Stories' social media, website, and newsletter and finds ways to ground See Stories programs in nature. Alicia lives on Sugpiaq Land.

Seth Bader

Education Programs Manager

Seth (he/him) lives on Lingít Aaní (Tlingit) Land and has taught science in classrooms between Washington and Alaska for the past 10 years. You can find him spending most of his time exploring the waters and mountains of South East Alaska with his wife and their dog, Trout. He is also the founder and Education Director for Fathoms Alaska, a wilderness program for adolescents and young adults. Seth will manage our multi-week digital storytelling workshops in villages and communities around Alaska, and expand programming into the greater Southeast Alaska region.

Consistent Collaborators

Rafael Bitanga

Rafael Bitanga

Rafael (he/him) is a current student at Cornell University and See Stories alum who now leads See Stories' projects on a contract basis. He has led the See Stories' LGBTQ+ film workshop, as well as the See Stories' Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic peer youth podcasting workshop culminating in the Alaska Teen Query Podcast. Rafael is a video strategist, entrepreneur, photographer, chef, and Renaissance man who launched the first ever Kodiak Crab Festival youth run food booth and who once received a compliment from Michelle Obama on his Barong Tagolog.

Allice Qannik Glenn

Alice Qannik Glenn

Alice Qannik Glenn (she/her) is Iñupiaq, born and raised in Utqiaġvik, Alaska. She hosts and produces her podcast called Coffee & Quaq, which celebrates and explores contemporary Native life in urban Alaska. She is one-third of Native Time, a collaborative media platform that highlights the real Alaskan experience through multi-media productions. Alice is co-producer in the award winning film The Forgotten Slavery of Our Ancestors and co-instructs various teacher professional development classes for podcasting & digital storytelling.

Kaitlin Jade Armstrong

Kaitlin Armstrong (she/her) is a writer and sound artist, raised in Homer, Alaska (Sugpiaq & Dena’ina land), currently residing in Anchorage (Dena’ina ełnena). Her experimental, genre-bending audio work explores identity, memory, and the interplay between narrative and perception. Kaitlin has written for The Matador Network, South Sound Business, 425 Magazine, and publications across Washington’s South Sound. She collaborates with See Stories as a youth podcast educator and on her upcoming podcast "Portrait of Alaska.”

Tayy Tarantino

Tayy Tarantino

Tayy Tarantino is an American hip hop recording artist and songwriter from Anchorage. He started his music career singing in the children and youth choir at his local church, rapping at the age of 10, and forming a rap group while attending Robert Service High School. His musical influences are J-Cole, Jay-Z, Kanye, Drake, Lil Wayne, and Timberland. He currently performs between the East and West Coasts & Alaska, and collaborates consistently with See Stories on our Shakespeare & Hip-Hop program at the McLaughlin Youth Center.

Board of Directors

Aud Pleas

President

Aud (they/them) is the Alaska Humanities Forum' Workshop Coordinator by day, and DJ by night, and spends their time connecting people and advocating for BIPOC communities and DEI in general. Aud procrastinated on getting their driver's license until their late 20s, but that didn't stop them from serving as station manager at KRUA, serving on UAA's Media Board, and being a mover and shaker in the community.

Naaq Robertson

Naaqtuuq Robertson

Vice President

Naaqtuuq Robertson (she/her) is Iñupiaq who lives on Eklutna Dena'ina Ełnena land. She is observant, calm, soulful and can be found creating, collaborating, gardening, dancing and taking time to rest and play in between life and work. Nature, humor, joy, healing, taking deep breaths, being curious, clean socks, and a good cup of coffee make her tick. She is proud of creating videos about cultural values as a conversation starter with rural youth during her early Take Wing Alaska (AKHF) days.

Jacob Tatum

Jacob Tatum

Archivist

Jacob (he/him) is a former legislative aide, a current teacher, a future lawyer, and renaissance man who is "steadfastly forward thinking." He overcame many challenges, or as he puts it, "took the scenic route," to complete his undergraduate degree, and is now working with his Alma Mater UAA to establish a scholarship program for non-traditional students and promote intergenerational equity. He is also dabbling in the world of stand-up comedy.

Marilyn Sigman

Treasurer

Marilyn Sigman (she/her) is an educator specializing in marine education and wildlife management. She has over a decade of experience in teaching and working as a naturalist guide in the captivating Kachemak Bay. Marilyn's achievements in science communication, outreach, and education include designing K-12 curriculum materials and facilitating professional development for educators. Her book "Entangled" won the prestigious 2020 John Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Natural History Writing. In her free time, Marilyn indulges in her passion for exploring tide pools and hiking.

Iam Murakami

Ian Murakami

Ian (he/him) grew up in Hawaii immersed in his Mom's stories, and now loves to connect the power of storytelling to social justice and advocacy. He is passionate, eager, and curious, and recently finished his undergraduate studies at Georgetown University, and currently serves as Social Justice Coordinator at the YWCA where he hosts conversations on the intersection of race, land and culture.

Roger Reisman

Roger is a passionate educator with a background in philosophy/theology and cross-cultural teaching. He holds a Masters of Divinity with a focus on inter-religious studies and liberation theology, and has completed field work in justice and outreach related work in Harlem. Roger is committed to sustainability and social justice, having organized around issues related to ecological and tech justice while in New York and supporting cooperative development and food and land justice upon his return to the west coast. He has spent the past six years teaching, with four years spent in Chevak, Alaska where he currently teaches 6th grade.

Emily Anna Lucy

Humanities Forum and has over a decade of experience in the non-profit and education sectors, working intentionally with indigenous communities and minorities. She draws inspiration from people who are authentic and passionate about their work, and enjoys spending time outdoors and connecting with loved ones. Emily strives to bring positivity and empathy to all situations while focusing on personal growth and building strong relationships. She is excited to be a part of the See Stories board.

Michaela Stith

Michaela Stith is a climate justice advocate who enjoys spending time in nature. She excels in listening, storytelling, and public speaking. Michaela has traveled to all eight Arctic countries, inspiring her to create 12 scrapbooks documenting her adventures, as well as her childhood and her grandmother's life. She is the author of the #1 New Release on Amazon in Polar Regions Travel, Welp: Climate Change and Arctic Identities, which explores environmental justice in the circumpolar North. She has given talks across the United States, including at UAA, Columbia University, and Dartmouth University.

Andrés Javier Camacho

Andrés is a documentary filmmaker and enthusiastic fisherman with a Colombian-Mexican-American heritage. He is widely recognized for his hands-on approach to documenting stories, immersing himself in the lives of his subjects for extensive periods. Andrés has an undeniable passion for all activities related to water. He enjoys meeting new people and has an immense respect for the wisdom of elders. He relishes challenges and finds enjoyment in physically demanding activities. Andrés finds joy in bonding with individuals over food, music, and animated conversations.

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