What can college students do to create better educational opportunities within their cultural communities? Through this study, I will focus on the significance and necessity of creating meaningful relationships within the Micronesian community, specifically relationships that highlight the importance of giving back to your community once you have reached a certain point of privilege, like higher education. The methods in which I have gathered this research is through analysis of different articles pertaining to Micronesian migration and education, participatory observation within a Pacific Islander club at a local high school, and autoethnography. This research is important because as Micronesians, it is important to recognize our responsibilities to care for each other and strengthen our sense of community. The number of Micronesian youth coming of age in the Seattle area is growing, and this research will help the community meet the needs of this growing population.From this research, we are hoping to give Micronesian students the necessary tools to create successful lives for themselves post-high school, and stay connected to their communities while doing so.

Militarization is all too familiar to the indigenous people of Micronesia, and it is that mentality of colonization that the islands are currently battling. What classifies an island as “sacred,” and what implication does this hold for its military future? How does the discourse in media influence the status of militarization? How does indigenous law clash with U.S. Federal “domain”? The United States’ territories in the Pacific region continue to serve as a divisional branch to geographic political interest, military access, economic power, national security, and relative gain. The sphere of influence in the Oceanic region is essential to be maintained in order to stabilize the United States’ global hegemonic supremacy. As a result, this session will shine light on the importance of U.S. territories, specifically the Northern Mariana Islands, to U.S. defense policy in light of growing military interests in Micronesia. Studying this topic includes indigenous methods of cultural ties and history, government interviews, indigenous authors, dynamics of legality, and applying history from other island nations.

How has migration and culture affected Micronesians as students? What has been the Micronesian experience when migrating to the United States? As families migrate to America, it is important to see what cultural traditions, and aspects, are brought from their home islands. Micronesia has the highest U.S. military recruit per capita- even much higher than any rates within the U.S. mainland. Consequently, for many Micronesian families that migrate to the U.S. for military purposes, education is a main focal point for the next generation. Whether for military or other reasons, education is a major factor that influences their migration to the U.S. in service to the military. The purpose of this project is to raise cultural awareness of Micronesian students, and Micronesians on and off campus. This presentation will enlighten cultural practices, journeys, historical baggage, and current challenges in the face of migration. Methods of research include oral and written interviews by Micronesian students and community members, images by Palauan photographer Desiree Gross, and other forms of artful expressions such as Micronesian material culture.

How do Micronesian students at the University of Washington decide what they want to major in? Do they feel their decisions being intrinsically motivated (self-motivated) or extrinsically motivated (motivated by others)? To what extent are their decision-making processes when declaring a major influenced by their ethnicity? Also how are they helping out the rest of the Micronesian community inside and outside of educational institutions? In order to answer these questions, I first interviewed undergraduate Micronesian students at the University of Washington to gain an understanding of their personal stories and why they chose to go into higher education. Afterwards, I demonstrated how these individuals significantly impact their communities through their involvement in collaboration with the Micronesian communities. Educational efforts were also taken into account in order to include their work done towards inspiring high-school students to pursue higher education as a way of helping out the larger Micronesian community as well. My research illustrated that despite an increasing Pacific Islander population choosing not to pursue college; those who did pursue higher education used their privileges to speak on behalf of voices that are unheard through the opportunities that their majors provided. This research was conducted through surveys, social media, interviews with ten Micronesian students, Pacific Islander Demographic analysis within the state of Washington, and by participant observation. Through my research, the intention was to provide an illustration of how Micronesian students incorporate decolonized methods into the ways in which they plan on majoring in specific fields ranging from political science to pre-med, education and so forth. Not only that, but despite the small population of Micronesians on campus, their voices are constantly being heard on a major level of intelligence and involvement in the community.

The Marshall Islands, located in Micronesia, was a site for U.S. nuclear testing from 1946-1958. The U.S. Navy chose Bikini Atoll for the first series of testing, named Operation Crossroads, to demonstrate the destructive capacity of the bombs. Since then, the Marshall Islands has been shaped and exploited in ways to maintain U.S. power and military advantage. Even though atomic bomb testing ended in 1958, there has been ongoing physiological effects on both the people and the land. This research focuses on coconut trees’ uptake of radioactive cesium-137 and efforts to mediate this. The contaminants travel up the shoots of the tree and are concentrated in the fruits of coconut. In addition to literature research, I have been working with the Heart of America organization to get more information about nuclear contamination here in the Northwest and how it may relate to Micronesia. Also, I am doing lab research to test phytoremediation of organic pollutants with native Washington plants to become more familiar with the entire process. Phytoremediation could prove to be beneficial for the land and the people of the Marshall Islands. If the radioactive waste is removed from the soil, it may improve the quality of crops and the health of the people.

How do stigmas associated with mental illness shape the culture in which mental illness is perceived and treated in Micronesian communities? Mental illness elicits responses of different sorts throughout the world. Within the United States, there is a stigma surrounding mental illness that separates those with this illness from the rest of the society. In health care, mental illness is segregated into another field of study, apart from fields of study associated with illnesses in the rest of the body. With the influence of Western Society on Micronesian culture, it is difficult to explore possible stigmas revolving around mental illness pre-colonization. It is possible, however, to compare stigmas associated with mental illness in these communities through interviews with younger and older generations to see possible progressions of perspectives around mental illness over time. Comparing current statistics with statistics from past research primarily during the 1960's, using data from Francis Hezel's research in Micronesian countries, this research communicates trends of mental illness in Micronesian communities.