April 10, 2008
For Immediate Release
For an Interview:
Kim Strunk
(801) 863-7225
Michael Morrow isn’t exactly the type of student one would expect to see walking into a college-level dance class. But the 61-year-old Vietnam veteran prides himself on letting go of expectations and existing in the moment.
Morrow is an Integrated Studies major at UVSC, with emphases in creative writing and dance. He already has a bachelor’s degree in security administration from California State University, Long Beach, as well as an associate degree in agriculture from Hawaii State University and is one credit away from earning a bachelor’s degree in English from UVSC in addition to the degree in Integrated Studies. In all, he has earned 400 college credits and has attended UVSC for about five years, all of which he has been included on the Dean’s List.
Following high school graduation in Champaign, Ill., in 1965, he joined the Navy during the Vietnam War and was stationed in Hawaii. Once he was discharged, he decided to stay in Hawaii, where he studied Tai Chi, modern dance and hula with the famous hula dancer Edith Kanaka’ole. He then moved back to the continental United States and went to school in California before moving to Orem where he currently resides. He worked in landscaping for a number of years, before working in a warehouse for Micron Technology.
“Real strength comes from flexibility and being able to roll with the punches,” Morrow said. So when Micron made cutbacks a few years ago, Morrow took advantage of their offer to pay for his education and returned to school.
He originally came to UVSC with the plan of becoming an English teacher, but that plan changed when he was about to graduate. He decided that teaching was not the right profession for him and he would rather stay in school, so he switched his major to Integrated Studies, which allowed him to focus on creative writing and dance. He is also minoring in humanities and in technical writing.
“I love to move and I love to write, and I express myself in both ways,” Morrow said. “I really enjoy UVSC and what goes on here.”
Kim Strunk, department chair for UVSC’s department of dance, believes that the feeling is mutual.
“He’s in some classes with students who are seeking their bachelor of fine arts in dance, but he still integrates beautifully,” Strunk said. “He’s a very non-traditional student to have in a dance class, but his excitement and his enthusiasm help find his place. Just by being himself, he fits in.”
Morrow is already beginning to use his education by writing reviews of recent dance concerts for The College Times, UVSC’s student-run newspaper.
After graduating from UVSC, which he expects to do in a few semesters “unless they add another class I want to take,” Morrow plans to go to retirement communities to dance and play music for the residents, as well as read his own poetry.
“What goes in as far as education goes is important,” he said. “But what comes back out is even more important.”
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College Marketing Contact:
Kim Chapman
(801) 863-6807
Written by:
Brenda Johnson
(801) 863-7011