Trust is a very difficult thing to get, especially when talking about sharing personal information.

The Census is a prime example. Thanks to the data collected through the 2010 Census, communities receive more than $400 billion in federal funds each year. This money helps job training centers, hospitals, senior centers, schools and other educational institutions including NOVA.

Most know that some information must be given to the government every decade. Everybody is informed that personal data provided is protected under federal law, and yet many people are reluctant to cooperate.

If you like food, music and fashion, then the International Festival is an event you won’t want to miss. Best of all, it’s free for everyone. The event will take place on April 14 in the cafeteria of the Alexandria campus in Bisdorf Building.

That day, from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., the International Club will be hosting a variety of activities that will celebrate countries from around the world such as a multicultural fashion show, free henna temporary tattoo body art and booths with items representing various countries. Students will also be able to enjoy an international food buffet along with different cultural artistic performances such as salsa and belly dancing and a performance by Erica Anderson, one of this year’s NOVA Idol finalists.

At the Annandale campus, the Korean Student Association is currently providing tutoring sessions for students taking a Korean course or those with an interest in learning the language.

On Mondays and Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in CF 230, officers of the association and some fluent speakers are teaching a few students ways to speak and write in Korean. The majority of the participants have been non-Korean but they said that they welcome those who were born in America and have Korean roots within their families. This gives them the opportunity to learn their own language.

InfoComm International, a Fairfax trade association for audiovisual and information communications professionals, is offering students who are studying for a career in the audiovisual field a chance to win scholarships.

The International Communications Industries Foundation, InfoComm’s non-profit foundation, awards scholarships to college students in good standing and majoring in fields such as audio, video, telecommunications, electronics, technical theater, data networking, software development and information technology. ICIF was established because of a growing need for a well-trained workforce.

“Relay never stops because cancer never stops” is the slogan and theme of the Relay for Life, the flagship fundraiser of the American CancerSociety. The event, which started at NOVA in 2002, allows students to channel the passion of those words and continue to make an impact in the war against cancer. For two nights, on April 17 and 18, over 170 registered students making up 26 teams will honor the lives of those with cancer through joining in the planned activities.

Everyone has dreams of fame and fortune. At one point or another, many believe that they have what it takes to perform for thousands of screaming fans. Hundreds of NOVA students have received this opportunity. NOVA Idol has been letting NOVA students have their 15 minutes of fame for several years. This year’s NOVA Idol was described by many as the best so far.

“Something special is being created at NOVA.” Those were the opening words of A’Lelia Bundles, biographer and great granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker, when she addressed her interested United States History 122 class on Wednesday, March 3, 2010. “With more than 180 countries represented at NOVA, it is an interesting representation of what America will look like in the next three decades,” Bundles began.

President Barack Obama came to NOVA’s Alexandria campus on March 30 to sign the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.
A long line had formed outside the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center long before doors opened at 9:30 a.m. Inside, the 1,000-seat Mary Collier Baker Theater filled up quickly with students, staff and members of congress.

For two days over Spring Break students at NOVA’s Medical Education campus got to know the poor and underserved of Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington. Students enrolled in the Dental Assistant, Dental Hygiene, Emergency Medical Technician and Nursing programs volunteered their services along with area dentists, pharmacists and translators during the days of March 12 and 13 for the Northern Virginia Mission of Mercy Project, also known as MOM.

President Barack Obama will sign health care and student loan reform into law on Tuesday at NOVA’s Alexandria campus.

The modified healthcare reform bill contains several new provisions from the one Obama signed into law earlier this week. One of the largest changes is the inclusion of student loan reform, which makes the government more involved in handing out loans. It also caps the maximum loan repayment to 10 percent of a person’s annual income.