Evon Peter grew up in a village nearly 100 miles above the Arctic Circle. Despite being surrounded by natural beauty, Evon faced challenges early in his life. His mother moved him to Fairbanks so he could have a better education, but when he was 14 the school counselor told him and other native boys they were more likely to end up dead, or in jail, by the time they were 25 than they were to graduate. Evon dropped out of high school, but later graduated from the University of Alaska. While in college, he became active in student government, organizing and co-leading a native student organization. This led to his lifelong quest to improve life for native peoples. Today he works with issues related to trauma and integrating Indigenous cultural practices with behavioral health interventions. His major goals are preventing suicide, which is at epidemic proportions in native communities, and preserving native Alaskan languages. He is also concerned about the effects of climate change: “It’s impacting the health and well-being of our people,” he says.