Mac Willyander is a first-year Graduate Degree Fellow from Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, pursuing his MA in Psychology. His research focuses specifically on cultural psychology, analyzing the generational perceptions of ‘awa/kava (or sakau as it is called on Mac's home island of Pohnpei), which is an herbal remedy native to islands in Micronesia and Polynesia that can help to reduce stress and anxiety, in addition to many other socio-cultural benefits. Mac’s ultimate goal, after gaining more experience and skills in the field, is to return to FSM and providing more access to mental health care and counseling, where he will be one of the few trained psychology practitioners.  

“Back home, we don’t have any psychologists or psychiatrists. Although there is more awareness of mental health and people are talking about it, there is still a stigma. That is one aspect that I want to help with when I eventually go back. I want to professionally contribute to my home island and my country. In high school, there were times when I wanted to talk about personal stuff with counselors, but I was reluctant because I was unsure if I was safe telling them what I wanted to say, so I didn’t bother going to them.” 

Shortly before arriving at the East-West Center, Mac graduated from St. Louis University with a BA in Psychology. As an undergraduate, he spent a lot of time sharing his own culture with other international as well as American students, which is something he continues to do at the Center. He and a fellow EWC student from Fiji, Jay-J Taukave, set up regular open-mic sessions over the past year for all EWC students to participate and share their talents and cultures through dance and performance. 

“We organized this event to showcase culture and different places around the world, and we got to also showcase some of our cultures from the Pacific, too. So, this has become a medley of dances from each of the islands, and I was able to show the traditional stick dance from Pohnpei.” Mac said this ‘medley’ of dances from the open-mic nights eventually grew into what became the grand finale performance at April’s East-West Fest, showcasing Pasifika culture, where performers taught each other how to perform each other’s dances for their respective island and culture.  

Overall, one of the highlights for Mac when it comes to experience at EWC is the diversity.

“I didn’t expect the EWC to be this diverse. I’m not just interacting with people from the Pacific Islands, but now I’ve also become exposed to so many people from places like Nepal, Afghanistan, and so many other countries. This is a rich cultural environment and it’s hard to find a community of people living together like this.”  

While having the opportunity to interact with so many cultures all in one living space at EWC, what Mac wants to get from this experience is something much deeper. “I don’t want to just gloat about the fact that I lived with people from around the world, but intentionally learn about their culture, and also [eliminate] typical stereotypes that I may have had about certain cultural groups by getting to know them for who they are, and not just what my own preconceptions and stereotypes are.” 

In addition to the cultural contributions he has been making at the Center, he has also been working with Dr. Mary Hattori from EWC’s Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) and gearing up for this year’s Celebrate Micronesia Festival, which will be held on May 20th at the Bishop Musem. He has taken an active leadership planning role for the Festival as a Volunteer Coordinator, recruiting and training volunteers to set up booths and performances. “Part of the reason I’m doing these kinds of volunteering work like Micronesian Fest, East-West Fest, and open mic night is that I also want to put Micronesians in a good light. That is one of the ways I want to contribute to my community, and my home away from home.” 

The East-West Center offers scholarships for graduate study as well as affiliation programs for service-minded students with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region to join our international graduate student community. Mac is supported by multiple scholarships including the Ashok Kumar Malhotra SEVA (Compassionate Service) Award and the EWCA Alumni Scholars Award.