Page 17 - The Bell Tower - Fall 2014

Marshall Islands Surprise
On July 8, Barbara Ned of the Marshall Islands took a break from her secondary education studies at UMFK to give birth to a healthy, seven pound baby girl at Northern Maine Medical Center.
Ned named her baby Maine Pine in tribute to the state of which she has become fond.
Ned had been in Fort Kent for a five- week summer session along with other Marshall Islands students studying nursing and education in a collaboration between the College of the Marshall Islands and the University of Maine at Fort Kent.
“Fort Kent is a place where I would like to stay and raise my family. The people here are very nice and friendly. We can sleep at night peacefully without being alert of any danger. Wherever we go, they would greet us nicely,” she said.
Ned was aware of her pregnancy prior to attending the summer program at UMFK, and was conflicted about whether or not to continue her studies as a result. “I said ‘I want to come to school, but now I’m pregnant; what can I do’,” she said. Ned and her husband are the parents of six children, including Maine Pine, and her decision to continue her college education was largely for the children, in order to better their lives, she said.
Monica Gordon is Ned’s cousin, a mother of four, and a fellow Marshall Islands student in the program. She praised Ned’s determination and ten- dency to work hard in the face of a chal- lenge, “One thing I really admire is, even though she was pregnant and had a baby, she is ahead of her studies. She finishes everything before the next class—she’s on top of it. I have her help me with my studies,” she said. Gordon also described Ned as a caregiver for the other students in the program. “She takes care of the food when we stay up to study late. She has food in her room, and she emails [the other students from the Marshall
Islands in the program], ‘I didn’t see you eat so you better come’,” she said.
Many local residents, including friends of UMFK Dean of Enrollment Services
and Student Life Ellia Sablan-Zebedy, who is originally from the Marshall Islands
and a nurse at NMMC, have donated clothing and baby items to Maine Pine. Ned expressed her thanks to the excel- lent team at NMMC for their assistance with the delivery; Loni Nadeau and her Mommy Facebook group for the wonder- ful donations of baby supplies, apparels and toys; and all others who have contrib- uted. Sablan-Zebedy had positive com- ments regarding Ned and her situation, and pointed out some cultural differences that can present challenges for women in the Marshall Islands, such as that women are traditionally expected to stay in the home rather than to achieve a higher education.
“There are more females pursuing their bachelor’s degrees regardless of the cultural barriers. For her to consider com-
ing out here while she was pregnant, I’m very proud of her. It takes a lot of strength and courage to do this. She is away from her family members,” Sablan-Zebedy said.
Ned and the other students will com- plete the summer program at UMFK on Friday, July 25, and return to the Marshall Islands over the weekend. Ned is pro- jected to complete her education degree in December. Sablan-Zebedy said that
it is worth going the extra mile to assist students who face challenges, “At the University of Maine our philosophy is to foster student success. The University believes in taking extra steps to help stu- dents achieve their educational goals.”
“One thing I really admire is, even though she was pregnant and had a baby, she is ahead of her studies.”
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