Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: Southeast Alaska , sometimes referred to as the Alaska Panhandle , is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska , which lies west of the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia .
Simplified: Southeast Alaska , sometimes called the Alaska Panhandle is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska . It is west of the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia .