By Rachael Kvapil
Nadia Carder always dreamed of living and working in Alaska. Thanks to her position with GVEA as the Healy Office Assistant, she enjoys a life filled with friendly, supportive co-workers and strong ties to the community.
Nadia started working for GVEA in January 2015. Prior to that, she worked in a local daycare. However, when the office assistant position opened up at GVEA, Nadia applied. Though she enjoyed working in childcare, GVEA offered a benefits package she couldn’t pass up.
“When I saw the announcement, I thought this job might be a good fit,” says Nadia.
Nadia says her position handles a little bit of everything. Since 1/3 of GVEA’s employees work in Healy, she manages related functions like reviewing timecards and working with Human Resources in Fairbanks to schedule interviews locally. She also works with accounts payable on invoices, coordinates meeting schedules for managers and staff, and undertakes the important role of planning holiday parties, anniversary events or any other office celebrations.
“I am a multi-tasker,” says Nadia. “I tend to do many different things in a single day.”
During her 7 years with GVEA, Nadia says the best part has been getting to know her fellow co-workers and the employees across the other departments. Working 40 hours a week with the people around her creates a sense of family, and her office feels like a second home. When new employees start with GVEA, she often situates them and assures them everyone in the company is willing to help figure things out.
“My co-workers make me feel appreciated,” says Nadia. “Just last month, I was on vacation and I came back to handwritten notes on my door asking me to please hurry back. That’s what I love about this place.”
She says the hardest part of her position is working in a remote area with limited access to resources and the closest town, Fairbanks, is 110 miles away. This part of her job is crucial when planning employee related events which requires her to be proactive in making sure that she has all supplies and equipment for the event. She says it’s gotten easier since Three Bears moved into the area, which carries a greater variety of items.
Nadia is originally from Bulgaria. As a student, she worked in the J1 program in Finland for a few months but always wanted to come to Alaska. When she first came, Healy stole her heart.
“When I came back in 2010, I planned to stay for only 5 years,” says Nadia. “And here I am, 12 years later, with a husband, 2 kids, a house and a dog.”
She loves living in a small community. She doesn’t have a long commute to work; people know each other well and work together to help each other out. As her children get older, she knows they will start looking for more extra-curricular activities in nearby areas. For now, she enjoys taking her family for walks and traveling to new places.