Dartmouth Undergrad to Pursue Career as Software Developer

Shareholder’s Passion to Create Tech Tools for Yup’ik Learners

Storyknife, March/April 2022 edition

Emilie Cimiciaq Hopkinson, a Calista Shareholder born in Anchorage with village ties to Hooper Bay, wants to pursue her passion for coding to provide study tools for Yup’ik learners of all ages. She is currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science modified with Digital Arts from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

“I was inspired by the article ‘Two Yup’ik Engineers Team Up to Build Groundbreaking Yugtun Technology,’” Hopkinson says. “I would like to further this movement.”

She is set to graduate from Dartmouth this June, with the goal of pursuing a master’s in Computer Science at Dartmouth to gain more coding experience. After completing her degree, she plans to work in software development to code games and design digital art for online games and websites.

“I would love to work with my grandma, who teaches Yup’ik at local schools, to create and bring more Yup’ik tools online.” – Emilie Cimiciaq Hopkinson, a Calista Shareholder and 2022 Dartmouth Grad

“I would like to bring more creative apps to the store in the following years,” Hopkinson says. “I would love to work with my grandma, who teaches Yup’ik at local schools, to create and bring more Yup’ik tools online.”

Completing a degree from an Ivy League school is not just a walk in the park. Hopkinson is a Calista Education and Culture, Inc. (CECI) scholarship recipient. She says the scholarship alleviates some of the stress on campus and allows her to significantly focus on her coursework.

“I am at Dartmouth to make my family proud,” she says. “I would love to thank my mom, Marylu Williams, and my grandma, Virginia May. They have shown me a lot of love and support, without which I would not be where I am today.”

The mission of Calista Education & Culture, Inc. is to celebrate and promote Yuuyaraq, the traditional/cultural way of being in the Calista Region which inspires and encourages our people to achieve their dreams through education.

Calista Education and Culture is hosting the 21th Annual Golf Tournament on Wednesday, June 29. The tournament raises scholarship funds to benefit students with ties to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta—just like Emilie!

The tournament is chance to play golf for a good cause—with a $10,000 hole in one cash prize!

Register to play or review sponsorship opportunities by Friday, June 3 at CalistaEducation.org.