By Eli Meschko
Media & Communications Coordinator
The Invisible String Theory suggests that people meant to be in each other鈥檚 lives are connected by an invisible bond, regardless of distance or time.
While the theory usually applies to relationships, it could also reflect our connections to places 鈥� suggesting that we end up where we鈥檙e meant to be, even if we don鈥檛 realize it at the time.
For Demetry Hoseth, a rising junior majoring in K-12 Education with a Physical Education endorsement, this couldn鈥檛 be any more true.
Hoseth is a native of Dillingham, Alaska. Chances are, you haven鈥檛 heard of it.
With a population of roughly 2,200, it鈥檚 a small and very isolated town that sits on the southwestern edge of the Last Frontier. In fact, the distance from Dillingham to Sioux City (~2,800 miles) is nearly the same distance as Dillingham to , Russia (~3,100 miles).
Dillingham also sits on Bristol Bay, home to the world鈥檚 most prominent sockeye salmon industry. Hoseth鈥檚 family, like many others in town, takes part in subsistence fishing, while many residents are involved in commercial fishing, including his grandfather.
“It鈥檚 like a big village 鈥� everybody takes care of everybody,” Hoseth said. “There are no roads in or out. You have to fly to get out and back in, so growing up there was a little secluded from the world.”
Though it is secluded from the lower 48 states, let alone Sioux City, the most improbable connection happened to Hoseth.
After he graduated from high school, he took a gap year to figure out what he wanted to do. He figured that he wanted to become a coach and teacher, so when he was looking up schools with physical education programs, he stumbled upon Briar Cliff.
You may think this was fate鈥檚 hand guiding him to The Cliff, but the real connection came during his campus visit.
When he was on his visit, he met with Theresa Engle, the Department of Education Chair. As they got to talking, Engle mentioned that she had a student who, after graduating, went to go teach in Alaska.
Of course, this caught Hoseth鈥檚 attention. He asked Engle about where her student ended up going to teach, and it turned out that her former student, Jordan Sanger (‘15), had gone to teach in Dillingham. But not just that, Sanger was Hoseth鈥檚 elementary school teacher.
“During my gap year when I was figuring out what I wanted to do, I chose to go into teaching because I thought about all the great teachers I鈥檝e had in my life that made a huge impact on me,” Hoseth said. “It鈥檚 crazy and kind of weird that this was seemingly all connected in a way through Briar Cliff.”
Though he was already pretty convinced to come to Briar Cliff for his undergraduate studies, this unexpected connection sealed the deal. Although this coincidence stuck with him, the biggest adjustment for him was adapting to life away from home.
Back home, there are only a handful of stores and gas stations. All food has to be flown into town by airplanes coming from Anchorage. Milk is $12, and eggs are roughly the same price and gas is about $7 a gallon.
Groceries, of course, aren鈥檛 as fresh. If you need to order something, it鈥檚 not like Amazon Prime delivers overnight 鈥� expect to wait about a month. That鈥檚 just how life is out there.
“When I want to get fresh groceries [in Sioux City], I can just go get them, and they鈥檙e actually pretty fresh,” Hoseth said. “That鈥檚 been the biggest thing I had to adjust to, just having everything I need within reach.”
Even though his home isn鈥檛 within reach, Briar Cliff has become a second home for him.
Within his first two years at The Cliff, Hoseth has become quite involved on campus. He is currently part of the Student Body Government, the Theater Club, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and helps in Campus Ministry.
He also serves as a teaching assistant for TRIO, where he helps new incoming students by helping them navigate their first year of college. He does all this while also competing in cross country and track for the Chargers.
While his on-campus activities keep him busy and involved within the campus community, his professors have continuously been shaping his academic and personal journey.
He鈥檚 grown into a leadership role, often encouraged to step outside of his comfort zone through class projects and presentations.
Engle and Education Instructor Alisha Elder teach him how to deal with certain situations in the classroom and how to handle life as a teacher. Meanwhile, Athletics Administrator Marian Pesky and Kinesiology Professor Tony Van Acker have given him pointers on how to be a good coach and health-related advice.
“Since I want to be a coach too, I鈥檝e learned a lot from Marian and Tony,” Hoseth said. “[As a coach] you鈥檙e not just in a position to help athletes try to win, but also in a position to help them become better people.”
As he continues his undergraduate journey, he still looks ahead to the future. He remembers how much the Dillingham community supports students through scholarships to help pay for college. If a student, like him, wants to leave the area and experience the rest of the world, they鈥檙e very supportive of this decision.
He plans on going back home to teach and coach the next generation. He also plans to earn a master鈥檚 degree, though he鈥檚 unsure whether he鈥檒l return home first or pursue graduate school right away. But his end goal is to go home and give back to the community that鈥檚 given so much to him.
What stands out most about Hoseth鈥檚 journey isn鈥檛 just the distance he鈥檚 traveled 鈥� it鈥檚 the intention behind every step. Each choice, each challenge, and each unexpected connection has helped shape not only his path but also the kind of educator and coach he hopes to become.
It may have taken a few connecting threads 鈥� one former teacher, a campus visit, a leap of faith 鈥� but all the roads led him to Briar Cliff. Now, as he prepares to one day lead a classroom and team of his own, he carries those connections with him. They鈥檙e reminders that sometimes, even the most unlikely paths are part of something bigger, almost like it is something that was always meant to be.
“When I started making friends here, it really started to feel like a second family,” Hoseth said. “So, when I do go home at the end of the school year, it鈥檚 hard to leave Briar Cliff, you know?”