But the economic reward didn’t drive her career move more than a decade ago. It was the need to be close to and care for her parents in Guam as they were aging. Her parents have passed on, but she is thankful for her decision to be with them at the sunset of their lives.

Pangelinan came back to Guam after having graduated with a business administration degree, with a Management Information Systems specialty, from California State University Long Beach in 1993, and a master’s in Computer Information Systems from the University of Phoenix, obtained in 2006.

Pangelinan looked back to her decision to move back to Guam as she embarks on her new role as the Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness at the University of Guam. 

“She brings with her a wealth of experience and knowledge that compliments and enhances the Office of Institutional Effectiveness,” according to Senior Vice President and Provost Anita Borja Enriquez.

When Pangelinan first returned home, she took a job at Guam Community College, where she spent more than a decade as the Assistant Director for Assessment, Institutional Effectiveness, and Research while overseeing GCC’s Office of Admissions and Registration.

When the position of Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness at UOG opened, following the retirement of Deborah “Dee” Leon Guerrero, Pangelinan decided it was time to move again, and put herself through a vetting process for prospective applicants.

A search committee of five recommended her for the job, and she officially joined the University on Dec. 27, 2022.

She sees her new job as having similarities to her role at GCC but also viewed her recent career move as a change to take on new roles. 

“It's actually a promotional opportunity career-wise. It’s an opportunity for me to extend my knowledge, my experience, and I believe, my abilities,” Pangelinan said in a recent interview.

Part of her job is to analyze data on student enrollment and trends to help UOG plan.

Pangelinan brings expertise in college accreditation, which will be helpful as UOG is preparing for another round of accreditation review. At GCC, Pangelinan served as the Assistant Accreditation Liaison Officer for many years and has served on several Accreditation Peer Review teams for colleges in the region.

10 years of data collection tracks elementary to college education

Pangelinan also offers a sense of continuity as a member of the Guam One Stop Data Village. The project combines data from the Guam Department of Education, GCC and UOG so the institutions can – over time – track the progress of students from elementary to GCC or UOG. The project is almost complete with its efforts to complete 10 years of data collection.

Pangelinan views the accreditation process as one that helps an institution meet its community's needs: That UOG offers quality education, and students are succeeding and landing jobs that align with their degrees.

Pangelinan also is glad that she’s a part of an institution that many students in other parts of the Micronesia region call home away from home. 

That’s unlike her experience leaving Guam for college in Long Beach when it was quite a culture shock, she remembered.