RANKIN INLET - It's official - Stephanie (Mikki) Adams of the Atuqtuarvik Corp. has earned the designation of a Certified Aboriginal Financial Manager (CAFM).

Adams passed her exam this past month after studying for two years to earn the prestigious CAFM designation through the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada.

Her next step will be to work towards becoming a certified general accountant (CGA).

Adams said the journey towards her CAFM designation was something she decided to undertake on her own in order to totally fulfil her duties with Atuqtuarvik.

She said it was a busy time for her, as she took her courses online and did her homework every night in the company of her children.

"There were, definitely, times I was pretty frustrated with all the work, but that ultimate goal at the end kept me going," said Adams.

"I wanted to show my children the importance of education, and that learning is a lifelong experience."

In addition to a pay raise with the letters behind her name, Adams has now completed two of the five years necessary to become a CGA.

Adams has enrolled in her CGA courses through Algonquin College and will begin the next step of her studies in January of 2010.

She knows her success could mean Inuit youth will start looking to her as a role model, and she takes that responsibility seriously.

"The first thing I would say to anyone is that you have to believe in yourself, your dreams and your goals.

"It's a lot of work, yes, but you have to always go for your goals and try to achieve them.

"There may be obstacles and barriers along the way in your learning experience, but, when you achieve your goals, it certainly pays off."

Adams said she received tremendous support during her studies.

She said she owes her family and employer a great deal of thanks for their help.

"I had excellent support the whole time, especially from my husband (Kelly).

"He had a bit more work to do, dealing with the kids and whatnot during the evenings I was preparing for my exams, but he was always there for me. My office also gave me tremendous support, always giving me the time off necessary to do my studies and hand in assignments."