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Mayor resigns to chase dreams Priscilla Haogak reflects as she prepares to move to Inuvik for four yearsLaura Busch Northern News Services Published Monday, Aug 13, 2012
The 33-year-old, who was born and raised in Sachs Harbour, has spent the last two years juggling the responsibilities of serving as the hamlet's mayor and working two part-time positions at Inualthuyak School - acting as Inuvialukton language instructor and education assistant.
On top of those responsibilities, when she was elected as mayor two years ago, her youngest of three children was 11 months old.
"It gets really overwhelming at times but you just have to sit back and think that things are going to fall in to place," said Haogak, adding that she couldn't have pulled it off without the support of her spouse and of the community as a whole.
She said she decided to step up and run for mayor of the hamlet because, "I just felt that I was ready to help the people of Sachs."
She drew inspiration from her father, the late Charlie Haogak Sr., who served as mayor when she was very young.
"He always taught me that the sky is the limit and you can do anything you put your mind to," she said.
Haogak's mother, Betty, has also played a large part in her daughter's drive to succeed.
After Charlie Sr. died, Betty brought Haogak along with her sister and three brothers to Inuvik where she pursued an education that allowed her to support the family better.
The experience taught her to value education and chase her dreams, said Haogak. This is exactly what she is doing by having recently resigned from all of her jobs in Sachs Harbour to work toward a bachelor of education degree at Aurora College in Inuvik, a program that will take four years.
"It has been a challenge but it's been an interesting one," said Haogak about her time leading the hamlet. "It was really hard for me to say that I have to leave the position of mayor now and carry on with my own personal dreams."
Being mayor of Sachs Harbour generally means keeping in touch with the senior administrative officer, dealing with any dignitaries who visit the hamlet and speaking on the behalf of the people of Sachs whenever the situation called for it, said Haogak.
"I really enjoyed my position as mayor," she said. "It has taught me a lot. It has helped me grow, personally. It has helped me mature a lot and understand the ways processes work."
Her family also inspired and supported her in her role as Inuvialukton language instructor, said Haogak.
She remembers growing up listening to her parents and grandmother speak the language, but to this day would not label herself as a fluent speaker.
When she first became a language instructor eight years ago, Haogak also credits the people of Sachs who were very accepting and supportive of her desire to help youth in the community learn the language.
"In order for Inuvialuit to really grasp who they are - to know who they are and where they come from, we need to be able to speak the language that was theirs to begin with," said Haogak. "Our traditional knowledge and our culture go hand in hand with speaking our language. We're very hands-on people; we come from the land, we come from our surroundings and we learn to appreciate everything we have because our roots are so deep that we cannot help but try and learn the language as we live our traditional lifestyle."
As far as her long-term goals are concerned, Haogak is determined to return to her home community to teach at the school as a full-time instructor. Her ultimate goal is to be principal someday, she said.
"I feel excited, I feel mentally ready to take on my education," she said. "My mind is ready to do any assignment that's asked of me to do ... I'm really, really anxious to get things started."
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