Sarah Whicker

Education: Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science with a focus on Policy from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Master's Degree in Environmental Technology with a focus on Business and Environment from Imperial College London in England

Community work: Pulse Dance Co., Fairview Business Association, Alaska Miner's Association Social Responsibility Committee, Alaska Forward, Anchorage Young Republicans

Family: Parents Bob and Betsy Whicker, brother Cale

Hometown: Greeley, Colo. Grew up in Craig.

Favorite lunch spot? Crush. It's quiet, comfortable, I get really excited about their Alaskan take on the Nicoise Salad and I can get a good Americano too!

Best stress reliever? Sitting in the sauna during the winter, walking or biking on the Coastal Trail in the summer or having "me" time at my house.

Favorite place in Alaska? The duplex I co-own and co-occupy with my parents. We painted it Alaska colors — blue with yellow doors. It is in downtown Anchorage and the Coastal Trail is nearby.

Your most memorable experience that could only have happened in Alaska. My dad was a commercial fisherman in Bristol Bay for more than 25 years. He sent me gillnetting for reds on my Aleut godfather's boat the summer after high school graduation. With the exception of my godfather, I worked on an all-woman crew. It was an amazing experience that produced many memorable stories, reconnected me to the place and culture from my first years of life and gave me a strong appreciation for the hard work my dad put in all of those summers to supplement his income and provide for our family.

How did you make your first dollar? Working the cash register for tips at our family's walk-up sandwich and ice cream shop in Bristol Bay.

Favorite superhero? She-Ra Princess of Power. I even had the sheets when I was in kindergarten! She leads the Great Rebellion, a group of freedom fighters set on liberating their homeland from tyrannical rule. Also, her horse turns into a unicorn when she uses her Sword of Protection to change from Princess Adora into She-Ra. Amazing!

What is the best moral lesson learned from a character in a book? To know yourself, the situation and unwaveringly follow your gut. Claire and Jamie Fraser embodied this during their pursuit of a less dramatic and happier life in fictional 18th-century Scotland, Caribbean and American colonies as portrayed in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.

What was your biggest challenge in life and how have you overcome it? People's biggest assets are often their biggest weaknesses. Tempering some of my extreme qualities and working on aspects of myself that needed it allowed me to gain more control over my characteristics while still being able to access them.

What was the least intelligent thing you've ever done or seen and what did you learn from it? Discrimination. I believe in being informed, compassionate and non-judgmental and looking for the best in everyone because of the discrimination I've seen and experienced firsthand.

Describe something you learned as a child that made a difference in your later years. Always be yourself. Sometimes it is painful to be misunderstood by others, but it is more painful to simplify yourself so others can understand you and then not be able to understand yourself. Learning this lesson at an early age contributed to my fierce self-loyalty.