The University of Guam conferred degrees to 257 students today at its Fanuchånan 2018 Commencement Ceremony held at the UOG Calvo Field House. Crossing the stage were 199 undergraduate and 58 graduate students.

The largest number of graduates came from the UOG School of Business and Public Administration, which conferred 95 undergraduate degrees in business administration, accounting, public administration, and criminal justice and 11 graduate degrees from its Master of Public Administration and Professional Master of Business Administration programs. The School of Education graduated the largest number of graduate students conferring 35 master’s degrees.

“My experience at UOG was fun and exciting and full of knowledge,” said Alyssa Talabong, who graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. “You strive to do your best, and in the end, it is worthwhile.” Her next step is to find a job while also pursuing a master’s degree.

University of Guam President Thomas W. Krise speaks to the 257 graduates and their family and friends at the Fanuchånan 2018 Commencement Ceremony.

President: ‘Making the world a better place’

In his first commencement ceremony as president of UOG, Thomas W. Krise noted how this class would be taking a place in the University’s 65-year history of providing a place to teach and discover new knowledge and to share it with the community.

“I thank all of the graduates for learning with us, for challenging us to think in new and different ways, and for your commitment to making the world a better place for all of us and for those who come after us,” he said. 

Valedictorian: ‘Take life at your own pace’

Mia Sara Dizon Madlambayan, who graduated as a double major in psychology and sociology, was named class valedictorian. She encouraged her fellow graduates to not compare themselves to others but to pursue their goals on their own timeline.

“In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, ‘Comparison is the thief of joy,’” she said. “Instead, take life at your own pace. Believe that everything that you do is for a reason. Every experience you have, whether good or bad, shapes who you are.”

Madlambayan plans to take the GRE and to pursue graduate school on her path to working in the social psychology field.

Julian Aguon, human rights lawyer and founder of Blue Ocean Law, delivers the commencement address at the University of Guam’s Fanuchånan 2018 Commencement Ceremony.

Commencement speaker: ‘Find your fighting spirit’

Graduates listened intently as the keynote speaker, Julian Aguon, a human rights lawyer, founded of Blue Ocean Law, and lecturer at the University of Guam, recounted stories of injustice across the world.

“There is a language heist afoot in this country that is threatening our ability to show up for each other and for ourselves. We are losing our capacity to confront the injustice that is literally everywhere around us,” he said.

In his work at his law firm, Blue Ocean Law, he and his team have advanced the rights and interests of island communities, providing guidance for them to better protect their natural resources and to challenge multinational corporations.

“This is what it looks like when we are able to overcome speechlessness, find our fighting words, and step into the sun. We share the sunlight,” he said.

He gifted a copy of his book, “Overcoming Speechlessness,” to every graduate saying, “May you not only find your fighting words, but your fighting spirit, too. Our broken world is waiting.”

Photos and video

The ceremony was streamed live and is viewable on UOG’s Facebook page. Photos from the ceremony will also be available for download this week at https://www.flickr.com/photos/uogtritons/albums.

Mia Sara Dizon Madlambayan, valedictorian of the University of Guam’s Fanuchånan Class of 2018, with UOG President Thomas W. Krise, left, and Senior Vice President Anita Borja Enriquez, right. 

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The ceremony was streamed live and can be viewed on the official UOG Facebook page. 

Download the Commencement Program