Micmac teenagers visit University of Maine

ORONO – Five teenagers from central Aroostook County may be viewing the University of Maine campus in a new light after a daylong trip to the Orono campus recently.

The girls, who attend schools in Presque Isle and Caribou, made the trip at the invitation of a group at the university that had visited the Aroostook Band of Micmacs in August.

The group includes David Slagger, a member of the Aroostook Band and a student in the College of Education and Human Development. Slagger said he thinks the students have a better understanding of both program offerings and the welcoming climate on campus as a result of the visit.

“They’ve been inspired by seeing other members of our tribe go to college and have good careers,” Slagger said after the visit. He estimated that, of the roughly 1,000 Micmacs in Maine, fewer than 10 percent are college graduates.

The welcome they received from students, faculty and administrators was comforting to the teens, whose idea of a college campus had been based on informal visits to the smaller University of Maine-Presque Isle campus, Slagger added. “[The Orono campus] is like a little city,” Slagger said. While its size may be intimidating at first, it means the campus can offer a number of student services that a smaller campus might not have so readily available, he added.

The visit of about a dozen University of Maine representatives to Aroostook and the return visit by the Micmac students is part of a growing relationship.

The college of education and human development is seeking more cross-cultural experiences for its students, particularly as it prepares future teachers for more diverse classroom experiences. College officials hope to attract more members of the Micmacs and other native people, in addition to minorities from across the country, to become part of an increasingly diverse student body at UMaine.

College and student representatives agree that giving visiting students a firsthand look at campus offerings is a vital first step in the process.

“I see the importance of it,” said Victoria Higgins, acting chief of the Micmacs. “It is really important that they see what goes on,” she said of the teens’ visit. She said she spoke with Roldena Nakai, who accompanied the teens and who told Higgins “they were all very positive about it.”

“This visit was a great start in demonstrating what the university can offer to make higher education a reality for all Maine people,” said O.J. Logue, associate dean of academic services at the college. Logue was among the group from the college and campus who visited the Micmacs’ tribal administration offices and education center in central Aroostook County in August.

The teens, eighth- to 10th-graders, made several stops on the Orono campus, including the Canadian American Center, Northeast Folklife Center and Fogler Library.