Corsicana Daily Sun Staff Reports

Navarro College’s Corsicana campus took on a bit of island style Tuesday as the college once again hosted its annual Micronesian Festival.

This event’s aim is to spread cultural awareness of the different Micronesian islands by providing information, performances, and traditional island food free to all who attended.

Micronesia is a sub-region of the Oceania and is comprised of thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Major countries include the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, U.S. Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

During the 1980s, Navarro College had a large population of students from Micronesia attend and graduate from the college. After completing their studies at Navarro College, many remained to live and work in Corsicana and the surrounding area. The Micronesian community has remained supportive of the college and organized various community events to help promote awareness of their culture and support educational opportunities at Navarro College.

A group of Micronesian Community Leaders established a scholarship in memory of Harold Crouch, who served as international student adviser at Navarro College for many years. While Crouch was involved with all international students, he shared a special bond with the Micronesians. This scholarship is designed to help honor his memory by assisting students of Micronesian ancestry in pursuing their academic goals.

Sina Ruiz, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Institutional Effectiveness said the movement started in 2008 when many Micronesians contributed to the Harold Crouch Micronesian Scholarship by donating their time, cooking, raffles, garage sales, hosting the Labor Day Volleyball and Basketball Tournament, and providing performances and food tasting at the annual Micronesian Festival.

Dr. Harold Housley, Vice President of Operations and Institutional Advancement, said the Micronesian Community has raised more than $30,000 and 62 Harold Crouch Micronesian Scholarships have been awarded.

 

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Source: Corsicana Daily Sun