Behind her smile, Ezra’s journey toward earning her Bachelor of Social Work has been anything but easy. Life challenges have taken her 22 years, from the time she first set foot on a college campus in 2002, to get to this point of being a prospective graduate at UOG.  

She is in a stable situation now and making an impact through her work as a shelter worker at the Alee Shelter for women and children in domestic violence situations and serving her internship at the Lighthouse Recovery Center helping clients recovering from drug and alcohol addictions.  

Homeless and hitting rock bottom  

But Ezra had hit rock bottom before she pulled herself up, emerging stronger.  

During the pandemic, Ezra, who’s raising three minor children on her own, lost her government-provided housing because she couldn’t refuse relatives who needed a place to live. With her janitorial and part-time restaurant jobs vanishing due to the pandemic lockdowns, she could not afford to pay rent. Her family became homeless.  

“The day I lost my home, I called my sister to take my kids. And I thought I’m just a burden in this world ... I had so many reasons to give up,” she recalled.  

After hours of despair, her perspective switched, and she believed it might have been divine intervention.  

Creating a positive impact on others  

“I don't even know what my belief is, in terms of a higher power, but there was a voice that said, ‘You can't. You can't give up,’” Ezra said. “And after that, all I could think of was I would never, ever allow myself to get to the point where I have absolutely nothing …I will make sure that before I leave this Earth, I will secure a place for my kids and leave a positive impact on humanity because I want my life to mean something." 

Her homelessness ended when the pandemic unemployment assistance provided her with an income every two weeks. She took her higher education back on track in 2021, and, ultimately, landed a full-time job helping people with disabilities at the nonprofit Guma' Mami.  

She continues making a positive impact on the community and plans to do more. 

Awards recognize community service  

The Guam Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers awarded her with its Student Social Worker of the Year Award recently.  

Guam’s Soroptimist International also recognized her with its Live Your Dream Award for her impact in the caring field.  

Ezra also has kept her excellent academic standing, as she is on the President’s List for achieving a grade point average of 4.0 for the 2023 Fanuchånan semester.  

There is more to Ezra’s life struggles. 

She is a survivor of sexual assault, a trauma she experienced as a child, she said.  

And for more than 10 years, she said she endured domestic abuse by an ex-partner.  

She gathered enough courage to leave one abusive relationship after another behind when she saw her daughter was at risk of getting abused, too.  

For more than 20 years, after she was abused as a child, Ezra didn’t speak of her trauma until she found the courage to bring it up to her mother, who later passed away, in 2019.  

Finding a voice to help stop abuse  

She decided to openly talk about her experience in hopes that open discussions would help stop children from becoming victims.  

“I think saying that I’m not worthless even though this happened to me, and saying I am powerful because I have a voice and it was not my fault, can help others break the culture of silence," Ezra said. 

“I hope that if anything comes out of this, I can let people know that it's OK to speak about it and that it’s not the fault of the victim.”  

Ezra said she is channeling her past traumas into something productive by helping people who are trying to cope with their life struggles.  

The nomination for Ezra as Student Social Worker of the Year recognizes her strength and advocacy to help others.  

“I have witnessed her go through the hardest of times while continuing to maintain a positive attitude with her grit, and compassion for others,” according to a peer who nominated Ezra for the Student Social Worker of the Year Award.  

Ezra’s rise has just begun.  

She’s set on pursuing a Master of Social Work from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa under a UOG partnership that allows graduates from UOG’s Bachelor of Social Work to work on their master’s through online learning.  

Life challenges delayed her college path, but at 39, the single mom is ready to graduate during the Fañomnåkan Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 19.  

She also plans on writing a book about her life and starting a nonprofit that helps others in dire situations including domestic abuse and sexual assault.

“Everybody has the ingrained ability to take the ugliness of life and turn it into a beautiful masterpiece,” Ezra said. “Sometimes, to be a light to others, one must first face their darkness.”