A longtime Yup’ik educator from Kotlik has received one of the Alaska Federation of Natives highest honors for her decades of work preserving Alaska Native language, culture and traditions.
Theresa Mae Prince was named the recipient of the 2026 Eileen Panigeo MacLean Education Award on the second day of the AFN annual convention in Anchorage.
The award recognizes Alaska Natives who have demonstrated a commitment to improving educational opportunities for Indigenous communities. It's named after Eileen Panigeo MacLean, a former state legislator and bilingual teacher.
Prince began her career as a teacher aide with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the 1970s before becoming a bilingual and bicultural instructor. She spent decades teaching students in the Western Alaska Village of Kotlik.
Speaking on stage wearing a rdark purple qaspeq with gold trim, Prince reflected on her upbringing and the lessons she learned from her parents.
“My parents were my first teachers, that I have always treasured in my heart and soul,” Prince said.
She credited her parents with teaching her and her siblings Yup’ik values, faith, discipline and the importance of living off the land.
Prince also spoke about her experiences attending boarding school at the Wrangell Institute, where she spent three years receiving a Western education. She said she didn’t fully recognize the impact boarding school had on her connection to her language and culture until later in life.
“I did not realize losing my own Yup’ik language, culture, and the ways of life until I got older and began to feel emotions of anger, felt cheated, sadness,” Prince said.
Despite those experiences, Prince continued her education by going to school in the nearby village of Emmonak and later spent eight years at St. Mary’s Mission.
Prince went on to earn an associate degree in 1990, a bachelor’s degree in 2006 and a master’s degree in 2010.
Prince retired from the Kotlik School in 2020 following a career that included Yup’ik language instruction for students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Her lessons extended beyond the classroom to include sewing, beading, traditional dancing, food preparation and subsistence practices.
During the awards ceremony, representatives from the Association of Village Council Presidents and Calista Corporation presented Prince with gifts recognizing her contributions to education.
Calista board member Audrey Alstrom praised Prince’s dedication to students throughout the Lower Yukon region.
“Through her commitment to education, Theresa has shaped the lives of many and countless students while setting a powerful example for younger generations,” Alstrom said.
Prince’s contributions have also extended into tribal leadership. She served as president of the Kotlik Tribal Council and held leadership positions with the Kotlik Yupik Corporation. She also participates in the Association of Village Council Presidents’ Healthy Families program.
In September, Prince also received the 2026 Education Award from the Association of Village Council Presidents.
In her retirement, Prince said she enjoys spending time with her children, 23 grandchildren and young great-grandchild while continuing to serve her community. She also honored her late husband, Michael Joseph Prince, who supported her throughout her career, and her younger brother, Richard Kamkoff, who died earlier this year.
Prince concluded her acceptance speech with a message emphasizing the importance of the values she spent her career teaching.
“Love one another and respect each other,” Prince said.
The 2026 AFN convention runs Oct. 22-24 at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage.
