Nina Flies Away Marie Devers Nina always aspired to enroll in a major college like the kids she saw on television who traipsed around urban universities, but she’d never set foot on an authentic college campus. She grew up in a remote Alaskan village that couldn’t be accessed by vehicle, and she thought this lifestyle might damage her chances of being accepted into a top school. On the contrary, most colleges found Nina’s biography intriguing, and she actually got into every school to which she applied! Nina was surprised. She had never pondered all of the unique things in her life that had prepared her for college—not until she wrote her college admissions essay. In her prose, she described how her experiences had strengthened her spirit. Helping my cousin clean salmon for a communal stew, she had written, taught me that each person and animal plays an important role in the success of a village. Nina’s fascinating life did not seem so charming while she had been living it, but now that it was all in the rear-view, she saw her past in all its splendor. She had joyfully imagined moving into a dorm, and the dream had always begun with Nina unpacking her clothes and putting them away in a huge closet. She had never considered the fact that she would have to sift through childhood memories as she packed her bedroom; she’d never moved before! Packing her belongings had been difficult. Nina’s mother asked a million times if this was the correct decision. Because Nina’s father was an elder, many children looked up to Nina. Nina’s mother told her that she must do a good job because the younger children might follow in her footsteps. Nina knew that her mom was petrified, but she also knew that overall, her mom wanted her to achieve success. She could not wait to earn her degree so that she could come back and teach in the village school or help the elders preserve the old-fashioned way of life for the next generation of children. Nina’s grandma emerged from her bedroom and gave Nina a satchel that she had sewn from