Melody Hoffman, daughter of Ronald and Cathleen Hoffman, and granddaughter of Mary Demientieff of Holy Cross, Alaska, has a lot to offer her community. As a mother and Doyon Foundation student, Melody juggles her family commitments with her daily workload at Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) as an operations support staff supervisor in Bethel, Alaska. There, she works with all of the village clinics that YKHC serves in the Yukon-Delta region.
“We are the ‘go-to’ employees for any questions they need to help serve them remotely,” explains Melody.
“My plan is to keep growing with the corporation and to become an advocate for not only our patients, but for our nursing staff too,” says Melody, who balances parenting and a class load at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. “I received my acceptance letter from UAA (University of Alaska Anchorage) for the next nursing cohort that starts in January 2017 that is offered in Bethel. I plan to work at YKHC until December 2016 and when my nursing classes begin I plan to concentrate solely on my nursing classes and my children.” Melody has two children, Ronald, age 7, and Christian, age 2.
Her biggest challenge while pursuing higher education has been balancing her personal life, work life and educational life. “I have learned to manage my time effectively,” Melody shares. “My main priorities are my family and to succeed in any of my projects that are given to me at work and to work tirelessly on my college classes.”
Doyon Foundation has been an integral part of Melody’s success. “With Doyon Foundation’s support I am able to continue my education without the added stress of finding my own funds to pursue my educational dreams. This really shows that Doyon Foundation cares and supports our shareholders to become successful and to give back to our people. Thank you, Doyon Foundation!”
In addition to pursuing her educational goals and raising a family, Melody also contributes to her community. “I am a graduate from one of the Native management programs offered by YKHC and have moved into a leadership role because of the Alaska Native Development Pillar.”
Melody hopes that her educational achievements will be beneficial to not only her family, but her community as well. “In the end, it will be all worth it and I will be able to give back to my community in being an advocate for our people and to provide and be a great role model to my children.”
She attributes her success to time management and constantly having a source of motivation: her kids and family. “To all the parents out there who have dreams to get a college education, it is possible to raise our kids and work hard to get a college degree,” she says.
