Alkapoane White Calf

Alkapoane White Calf

Alkapoane White Calf, from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, first traveled to San Francisco at the age of 19, chosen by the Pine Ridge Youth Opportunity Program to participate in the PATHSTAR Alcatraz swim program in 2005.  A former high school cross-country runner, he was an experienced athlete but had had no opportunities to prepare himself for the rigors of swimming in the San Francisco Bay.  Not only did he embrace the challenges that year but he returned to do another Alcatraz swim in 2008.  “I completed my goals… what I had to do.  It felt pretty good after.. when I swam it.  It was unbelievable.”  Thinking about his two young sons at home helped him to succeed, and he hopes that his accomplishment is an inspiration to them.  “And when my kids grow up they can see the DVD we made of the swim.”

White Calf now works to inspire youth within his community as a mentor for the Oglala Sioux Tribe Child Development Center in Pine RIdge.