Contributing to the increase in master’s degrees is the new Master of Accountancy program, which launched in 2022. The program has now produced a total of 30 graduates, including eight this semester. The Professional Master of Business Administration program, with 18 graduates, and the Master of Arts in Micronesian Studies program, with 12 graduates, are tallying their largest cohorts in the last 10 years. And the Master of Education in Reading program is matching its previous record with 24 graduates this semester.

On the undergraduate side, the largest number of graduates this semester is in the Bachelor of Business Administration program with 25 graduates, followed by psychology and accounting.

UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez highlighted that UOG’s history spans 72 years, and today, four new buildings being constructed on campus are a testament to its continued pursuit to expand the professionals on island in a broad range of fields.

“Our graduates are in high demand,” she said. “We have become a major trusted source of high-quality academic programs … to contribute relevant discoveries and solutions … and to advance communities.”

Commencement speaker shares journey from Agat to Silicon Valley

Delivering the commencement address was Mount Carmel Catholic School, Notre Dame High School, and San Jose State University alumna Lisa Carbullido Henderson. Henderson grew up in Agat and went on to become a certified public accountant with a more than 35-year career in Silicon Valley as an accomplished tax expert, entrepreneur, and mentor. She remembers attending the Agat library’s summer reading program, where she developed the love of reading, books, and knowledge.

“My mother always used to say, ‘An education is an open mind.' We learn in so many ways — from the classroom, from our parents and our elders, from friends, from colleagues, from experience, and from falling down and getting up. I often shared with my daughter, if anything, you must get up, dress up, and show up.”

Henderson was the first woman to lead the San Jose office of Frank, Rimerman + Co. LLP, where she advised high-net-worth individuals and businesses on complex financial strategies. She has also led innovative companies focused on workforce solutions and professional development and has mentored many young professionals into leadership roles.

She encouraged the graduates to never lose their desire to learn and to always make education part of their arsenal of superpowers as they embark on their professional and personal journeys.

“You now have an incredible superpower,” she said. “Apply it in whatever is meaningful to you, your families, your community, your island, your world. Create possibilities, and let your light shine!”

Valedictorian: ‘We’ve seen each other grow in ways we never imagined’

The graduates also heard an inspiring message from class valedictorian Sophie Danielle Vlassenko Santos, a first-generation graduate in her family who earned dual bachelor’s degrees in psychology and agriculture and life sciences, with an emphasis in nutrition and food science.

“Looking back on these years, we’ve seen each other grow in ways we might never have imagined,” she said. “From our first days at UOG, uncertain and eager, to this moment, we have faced challenges, celebrated victories, and experienced self-discoveries that connected us with the deepest parts of ourselves.”

She reminded her fellow classmates that wherever they find themselves after graduation, it is exactly where they are destined to be. She shared that she originally wanted to leave Guam to attend college at New York University but ultimately made the decision to stay on island. At UOG, she built lifelong relationships with her professors and with classmates who she will ultimately work alongside as dietitians. She said her community at UOG truly felt like her found family.

The livestream from the ceremony is viewable on the University of Guam’s Facebook page. Additionally, photos from the ceremony will be available in the coming weeks for download at www.flickr.com/photos/uogtritons/albums.

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