Biography

Alisha Drabek was born and raised on Kodiak Island to Alaska Native, Native American, French-Canadian, Scandinavian, Irish, English, and Slavic parents: Anthony Drabek and Kathleen (Carlson) Drabek. Her father Tony Drabek retired from 26 years as President & CEO of Natives of Kodiak, after serving as a fisherman, carpenter, and building inspector in Kodiak, and as a U.S. Army aviator in Vietnam. Her mother Kathy Drabek retired after serving as an architectural designer, program manager, and Port of Kodiak office manager. For three summers, they lived and worked aboard a WWII scow turned into a salmon tender, when Alisha was ages 6-8. History, heritage, and story play a central role in Alisha's creative arts, inspired by her ancestors:

• Her paternal grandmother Magnel (Larsen) Drabek grew up in Afognak village, Alaska, raised by her Alutiiq, Tlingit, Russian mother Olga (Naumoff) Larsen, and her Norwegian father Louis Larsen from Alesund, Norway. Alzeheimer's silenced Magnel's voice when Alisha was a child; although, Magnel lived through Alisha's high school years. Raised in Kodiak, Alisha's connection to her Grandma Maggie significantly contributed to her cultural identity and Alisha's tireless pursuit of Alutiiq stories. 
• Her paternal grandfather Henry "Hank" Drabek grew up on his family's farm in Springville, New York with his 11 siblings, raised by their Prussian Jewish mother Anna (Darszewski) Drabek and his Bohemian father Anthony Drabek from Zator, Poland. Hank served in World War II and the Korean War aboard several warships in the Pacific Ocean, fought as a boxer, worked as a security guard, and retired to take care of his wife Magnel and enjoy his garden. 
• Her maternal grandfather Chester Garhardt Carlson grew up in Bellingham, Washington with his three brothers, raised by their Norwegian parents John Peter Carlson of Breivik, Norway, and Johanne Marie (Dahl Magnussen) Carlson of Boda. He drowned in Lake Union after being knocked unconscious, robbed, and rolled into the harbor when Alisha's mother Kathleen was 15 years old. 
• Her maternal grandmother Virginia Viola (Popplewell) Carlson grew up in Sedro Woolley, Washington, raised by her Tsimshian, Iroquois, and French-Canadian mother Josephine Pauline (Iverson Felt) Ingram of Camano Island, Washington, who was adopted by Swedish parents after her mother died when Jo Pauline was two years old. Virginia's father Alfred Popplewell, the child of English and Irish immigrants to Sacramento, California, worked as a chef in hotels and on ships at sea.