Maria Hernandez May, once a reporter for local news, became a leading advocate for the locals of Guam and their rights to their land, as well as an activist for protecting the culture and overall well-being of the island. 

May graduated from the University of Guam in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in English and continued her education to then receive a Master’s degree in 2017 for Business Administration. 

It was during her time at UOG that May experienced what she refers to as, “an awakening to the injustices of living in a modern day colony.” According to May, the most influential courses that opened her eyes to such a reality included political science, CHamoru and humanities.

May also gives credit to the Fellows for Inquiry Towards Enlightenment Club, or F.I.T.E. Club, which she was a member of, for teaching her about what it takes to be an activist. “We would attend speeches held by politicians on campus and play the role of watchdogs.” 

Addressing students currently attending UOG, May shares her hopes in being able to find the path that feels right, feeling strongly about this topic as she went through multiple major changes before settling on English. “Switch gears and adjust plans until you find what is right for you.” 

“I continue to make big decisions and shifts in my life trusting my gut instincts and prioritizing that the work I do aligns with my values.” May believes that finding comfort in your plans while in college will follow into your future, so it is good to practice allowing yourself to do what satisfies you.

Since graduating, May has taken on many roles from marketing, to communications specialist, to business owner. 

Her small business, Lole’ Handmade, exhibits her dedication to zero-waste and sustainability as her products consist of handmade body care products, recycled glass jewelry and upcycled wine bottle candles. 

May frequently takes part in organizing events for the community with the goal of raising awareness about environmental and cultural justice issues in Guåhan. 

Associated with groups such as Hita Litekyan, Micronesia Climate Change Alliance, I Hagan Famalåo’an Guåhan and the Mana’adahi Coalition, May’s passion for such advocacy was kickstarted by her family’s loss of land. 

Alongside other local families, May is unable to connect to her ancestors through their land due to the military taking possession of the northernmost area of Guam, where her family’s beach was located. 

For her most recent project, May returned to the UOG campus to present the final product: a three part series of short films called For Love of Water. 

Each of the three films cover the importance of water travel from Guam to Hawaii and are entitled Protecting Guam’s Aquifer, Pacifika Solidarity and Toxic Legacy. Through these films, May hopes to educate viewers on topics such as how locals of the Pacific have traditions connecting them to water and how unnatural levels of carcinogens being found in the islands’ water are making it difficult to prosper among them.

May is excited to announce the release of the film series onto YouTube. 

The first of the three episodes is currently up and updates for the continuation of the series will come within upcoming weeks.

To watch the first episode of the For Love of Water series, you can subscribe to Maria Hernandez May’s Youtube channel. The video is entitled EP1: Protecting Guam’s Aquifer (For Love of Water Series) on YouTube. 

For further information regarding May’s business, her shop can be found online at lolehandmade.com and its Instagram is @lolehandmadeguam. 

If you are interested in May’s community organization efforts to bring awareness to cultural and environmental matters, she posts updates on her Instagram, @hitalitekyan.