Tyra Meissner is stitching the future of the community into the seams of small tunics.

Proud of her Native heritage but feeling distanced from its influence growing up, the high school senior is spending her senior project creating regalia for the Head Start rites-of-passage graduation.

“I didn’t get to do that, so I want to help make sure these kids get to,” she said.

Working with classmate Katelynn Gillen, Meissner spends her hours cutting material, stitching tunics and positioning press-on symbols. The goal is to ensure the younger generation has a physical connection to their culture that Meissner felt she lacked at their age.

For Meissner, the project is more than a graduation gift; it is an exercise in the Tlingit value of placing a premium on the next generation.

“I really value the Native community. I grew up around it and witnessed it through school and in the community,” she said. “That always felt like something cool to be a part of and to see.”

She noted that her own family is large, with deep roots in different areas.

“In Tlingit heritage, the children are so important because they are the future,” she said. “They are where you focus so much energy and time.”

While her immediate future lies in Montana, her long-term vision remains anchored in Wrangell. After graduating high school, Meissner plans to join her sister and attend nursing school at Montana State University in Bozeman.

Despite the appeal of a different pace of life, she said her return home is certain.

“Wrangell is where I want to have my family and it’s where I want to raise my children in the future,” she said. “I want to be involved with keeping the Native culture going, because I’ll want my own kids to grow up with it. I can’t imagine living somewhere else.”

The move south will require some adjustments. Meissner expects she will need to sharpen her time-management skills to balance a part-time job with the rigors of nursing school.

“I’ll have to get used to how everything runs down there,” she said. “It should get easier to manage after a little while. I’m really lucky because my sister is down there.”

While she anticipates Montana will lack the same sense of safety and relaxed atmosphere found in Wrangell, she views the move as a necessary step for personal growth.

“Everyone here has a strong sense of community, and they always are willing to help,” she said. “I think while I’m in Montana, I’ll find myself and get a better sense of who I am. But after I get my bachelor’s in nursing, I’m coming back.”