Native Canadian, Dr. Evan Adams, encourages Redwood Valley High School students to find their own life balance

"Be resilient.”

“Make the most opportunities when they come your way.”

“Keep well, and keep happy.”

These are just some of the messages Dr. Evan Adams shared with Redwood Valley High School students during a recent presentation in the Redwood Area Community Center.

Adams, who was hosted by the Redwood Area School District’s Indian education program, was invited to speak to students as part of Native American Month and to offer words of encouragement to students as they continue on their life path.

Adams, who is currently serving as chief medical officer for the First National Health Authority in British Columbia, Canada, is a native Canadian, but most know him for his career as an actor and roles he played in movies, such as “Smoke Signals.”

Adams admitted he never would have imagined the kind of attention he has received since that movie came out, as well as the number of people who still recognize him from his role in that movie nearly 20 years later.

“I grew up in the bush of Vancouver,” said Adams, adding he learned the traditional ways of his people from his father.

Yet, he added, he showed signs of high intelligence that convinced his family that Adams should go on to further his education.

It was while he was in college that his life as an actor unfolded.

“I was on my way to my biochemistry class when I saw a sign about acting classes,” he said.

He paused to look further and someone stopped him and asked if he was an actor.

“For some reason I said ‘yes,’ and I skipped my classes that day to go to an audition,” he said.

Luck, said Adams, brought him to that point, but it was his decision to move forward and to work hard after he was offered his first role as an actor.

“I remember walking on the set and seeing my name on a chair,” said Adams. “I even had my own assistant.”

Staying in acting for 12 years, Adams made a name for himself through movies, TV programs and on the stage, as well as being a playwright, but for him there was something more he felt he was called to do.

So, Adams went back to school and became a doctor. Now he focused his life on human health, wellness and living a balanced life.

“When we change our health, we change ourselves,” said Adams, emphasizing that it is never to late to make positive changes in your life. “You are not stuck where you are right now. You can change.”

The question, Adams said, is whether or not you are willing to make those changes, because at times it can be challenging and a lot of hard work. He said it would have been easy to stay in the world of acting, but he felt there was a way he could make a greater impact on society by working to help people improve their healthy life balance.

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