This week, we shine the spotlight on Christopher Gunlik of Bethel. Christopher works in the dietary department. He shares with us in his own words.

I was born and raised in Bethel and my family is originally from Kipnuk. I have 3 sisters and two brothers and am the baby of the family. I attended Bethel Regional High School and dropped out at 11^th grade. I was a troubled teen and had a hard time staying motivated and being persistent and consistent in things that were good for me.  I was not motivated to do the things that were beneficial to my life and struggled towards the end my high school years. I take responsibility and have no one else to blame but myself for the bad choices I made.

 There are three things that young people should remember:

• Peer pressure is easy to give into and fall victim to so choose your friends wisely
• Even if you don’t want to or feel like it, get up and keep going towards your goals
• Stick to your goals and follow through, no matter what.

I first went to McCann when I was 13 or 14 years old and didn’t last very long due to my behavior and not participating in activities that would have helped me. I went back to McCann when I was 17 and also got my GED at approximately 17 at Yuut Elitnaurviat. I am grateful for my experiences at McCann as I learned coping skills, anger management, substance use disorders and other skills that have helped me a lot. I am so much better at managing my feelings and emotions now. When a stranger is unkind to me or is angry with me, I would apologize to the person as I know that someone in their past did something unkind to them to provoke that kind of behavior towards a total stranger. We are all part of a big family and what affects one, affects all of us in some way or another. Little acts of kindness can go a long way and we should value the power of little things.

I have worked in dietary as a food service worker. Prior to that I worked at the airport as a ramp agent. Even to this day, I am amazed at the progress I have made in my life and how quickly I was able to get myself out of the troubled teen life that had its grips on me, which ranged from substance misuse and getting in trouble with the cops, among other destructive habits. Making origami is very relaxing for me.

There were so many people that helped me at McCann. Sarah Trieff, Jaimie Kassman, Christina Stahl, and Jerry White are some of the names I remember. I cannot express enough gratitude to the entire McCann staff for the impact they have had in my life. They helped me to come out of situations which would have eventually destroyed my life had I not turned around and walked in a different direction.

 My advice to young people who may be in troubled situations is to love and appreciate your family, have good, clean fun with your friends, and live your life so if God asked you what you have done with your life, you can say that, “I am okay. I had my struggles and came back and did good.”