President of Palau Visits UW Pacific Islander Community

President Johnson Toribiong

On the eve of receiving a distinguished alumni award from the University of Washington’s School of Law, Palau President Johnson Toribiong visited with the UW Pacific Islander campus community at the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity’s Ethnic Cultural Center Theater in May.

The event highlighted the growth of the UW Pacific Islander community, and featured performances and presentations by Pacific Islander student organizations and leaders. Vice President for Minority Affairs and Vice Provost for Diversity, Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange, provided welcome remarks. A blessing was performed by Julian Argel, assistant to the vice president on tribal relations and talent search director. Chasmon Tarimel, the only Palauan student on the UW campus, performed a native chant for the president.

Among the student groups and organizations that participated in the event were the Filipino American Student Association, the Polynesian Student Alliance, the Micronesian Islands Club, Pacific Islander Partnerships in Education, the PIONEER Pre‐College Program, the Pacific Islander Student Commission and the Northwest Association of Pacific Americans. Each student group and organization offered President Toribiong a special gift following its performance or presentation. The program concluded with remarks from Toribiong and was followed by a reception at the Ethnic Cultural Center.

President Toribiong (’72, ’73) is a double degree‐holder from the UW School of Law. He was sworn into office as Palau’s seventh president on Jan. 15, 2009. He is a former ambassador of Palau to Taiwan and co‐founder of the firm Toribiong and Coughlin.

See photos from the event.

Photo by Ian Gonzales