Living in Alaska offers many extreme challenges and opportunities for family and consumer sciences (FCS) teachers to step up to the challenges of facing the future. In this article, the author describes how she started the "Stepping Up For Our Future" program. She relates that as the sole FCS teacher in Chugiak High School, she was challenged to educate teens in all areas of FCS to prepare them for the many "shoes" they will be expected to fill as adults. "Stepping Up For Our Future" is a program created to offer students real life opportunities to experience FCS applied in their daily lives. Utilizing skills acquired from courses in food preparation, ProStart, textiles, child development, food science, and adult responsibilities, and from Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), teens learn to connect to their schools, homes, and communities.