Summer 2023 is closely approaching University of Guam students who all have different plans when it comes to deciding how they want to spend it. While some prefer to sleep-in and stay home until the fall semester, others have a desire to travel to places far away.

Some Tritons who have travel experiences believe that they would rather spend the summer off-island rather than doing something here on Guam.

Anita Tman, a junior majoring in social work, is a travel enthusiast who has been to the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Hawaii, Japan, and the Philippines to name a few.

“The first time I’ve ever traveled, it was to compete in sports competitions, but now I usually just travel to visit family members abroad or for fun,” she said. “The last time I traveled was last month to the Philippines with the social work program which allowed me to gain new experiences.”

Tman, if given the opportunity, plans to get an internship this summer or go to Washington where some of her family currently resides. 

Despite planning to go visit her family in Washington, there is a particular place that she holds dear to her heart–a place that she dreams of being rather than here.

“If I could be anywhere else but here, I would want to go to Yap, where I’m from, because I haven’t been there since 2020,” she said. “I would love to go visit my family members who are in Yap and experience being home.” 

Filomen Llegado, a sophomore majoring in pre-physical therapy, is also an experienced traveler and has been to both the Philippines and Nevada within the last year. 

“I went to Nevada last December to spend the holidays with my older brother and his family,” she said. “While I was there, I experienced eating at places that could not be found on Guam such as Chick-fil-A and the famous Costco Food Court.” 

Yet, Llegado noted that this summer she would prefer to be traveling across Europe than be here in Guam.

“If I could be anywhere else but here, I would want to go to Europe because recently I’ve been seeing travel reels on Instagram where they showcase the beauty of Italy and Greece,” she said. “I would like to go visit museums, go sight-seeing, and enjoy good food.”

However, Llegado explained that while she would love to travel again this summer, she feels the need to prioritize her education.

“Unfortunately, I must take summer classes this year so that I’ll be on track with my major, but I believe it will be worth it as I made this decision because it allows me to remain determined towards getting my college degree,” she said. “At the end of the day, I believe there will be many opportunities to travel after graduation.”

Ultimately, summer is right around the corner and students are looking forward to it no matter where they might be spending it. 

Even though some students would prefer to be anywhere else but here, what is most important is that students take the time to rest and enjoy after all the hard work they’ve done this semester. 

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However, whether you are a student in a committed relationship or a student who is single and ready to mingle, you are bound to have a unique idea or experience of what counts as a “perfect date”.

In this story, we take a look at what UOG students believe a “perfect date” looks like. 

A third-year public administration major who has been with her boyfriend for three years, defined what the difference is between a date and a regular hang-out. 

“A date for me is an adventure,” she said. “It’s when one person plans something that interests both people and they enjoy it. For me, I enjoy plans that are made spontaneously.”

She expressed what a perfect date looks like as someone who enjoys a variety of indoor and outdoor activities.

“My idea of a perfect date is being able to feel comfortable doing what you love. There are days where I want to stay in and order delivery and just watch movies with my partner,” she said. “Other times, I feel like going on a hike or out to swim. At the end of the day, what matters is that we both agree to what we’re doing.”

A senior secondary-education major, who has been with his boyfriend for almost a year now, expressed that his idea of a perfect date relates heavily to his hobbies of watching movies and computer gaming.

“My perfect date, that I’ve done on multiple occasions with my partner, would be watching a horror movie for the adrenaline rush. After that, we would go grab dinner and then park by the beach and watch Tik Tok together,” he said. “All that matters to me is spending quality time together with my partner and having fun.” 

We also turned to some UOG students who have been enjoying their time being single but are ready to mingle, and asked them what their idea of a “perfect date” would be.  

A political science major, who is currently single, believes that spending the day together is all that matters for her perfect date. 

“My perfect date would be spending the whole day with my significant other but I feel like I wouldn’t be content with just doing one thing,” she said. “The series of events for the day would look something like this: watching the sunrise, cooking and eating breakfast together, going for a drive and then ending the night with food and dinner.”

The political science student and secondary education student gave advice for students trying to get a date with their special someone this summer.

“If you’re trying to ask a person out this summer, try to find something that you both have in common and figure out if the other person would enjoy doing that with you,” she said. “If you believe they’d say yes, then go for it!”

The secondary education major expressed similar sentiments. 

“The cheesy thing is that when it comes to setting up a date, what you really want is to find a way to get the other person’s heart racing because you want it to be memorable for the other person,” he said. “But the most important thing is to find something you’re both interested in.” 

Students at UOG certainly have a unique perspective as to what they believe a “perfect date” should be. Some prefer to spend time indoors watching movies while others prefer to spend a day out with their partner. 

UOG Tritons, who are undoubtedly romantics at heart, have a lot of love to give and are looking forward to spending the summer with the people around them whether it be a significant other, friends, or family. 

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When not studying for an exam, two sisters can be found dancing with the island’s only collegiate dance team, UOG Triton’s Collective. 

Camille “Cami” Cosico, a third-year psychology major and philosophy minor, is the current vice president for Triton’s Collective and has been with the team since 2021. 

Her sister, Monica “Moni” Cosico, a first-year communication major and theater minor, joined Triton’s Collective in Fall of 2022.

She and her sister have been dancing since they were children and both continue to find inspiration from various celebrities and choreographers, such as BTS and Paris Goebel, who choreographed Rihanna’s Super Bowl 2023 performance. 

Moni Cosico expressed her story as to how she became interested in dancing.

“I’ve always been interested in dancing since I was a kid, but the ‘Step Up 3D’ movie was what really got me into it,” she said. “So, when my sister and I moved to Guam from the Philippines I was able to join dance teams in high school and now in college.”

According to the Cosico sisters, performances are an important aspect of being a dancer. They believe putting the work into being a better dancer ties into helping them perform better academically and relieve stress.

Moni Cosico expressed how dancing promotes discipline in her day-to-day life.

“The skills I need for my major are presenting and public speaking and this is where dance practice comes into place,” she said. “Something I learned through being a part of Triton’s Collective is making sure that days prior [to a performance or presentation] I know my stuff,” she said. 

Cami Cosico explained that dancing as a student also helps her with her mental health.

“In a way, dancing also helps with mental health because college can be stressful,” she said. “When you come to practice your brain shuts off and helps you focus on one thing and then you start to feel better afterwards because it helps you cope with your stress.”

Cami Cosico expressed her feelings of success when it comes to dance, however she noted that her definition of being successful might be different from others.

“For me, an easy way to define success is if I’m happy where I’m at and I’m happy in what I’m doing, then I am successful,” she said. “If I’m able to entertain and make an impact on the people around me then that is success.” 

As a student, spending time pursuing your hobbies does not take away from your journey towards getting your degree. In fact, it can enhance your experiences and help you in developing the skills needed to become successful.

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AmeriCorps Guam Memorial Hospital (GMHA)

Arielle Candelario is a third-year student majoring in biology and philosophy who volunteers with AmeriCorps Guam Memorial Hospital. 

Candelario’s heartfelt experience with community service began when she helped found an organization called the “Walking Nuns” while attending the Academy of Our Lady of Guam to help decrease the homeless population in the area.  

“We would go out during lunch to give them food,” she said. “It was hard sometimes because eventually these people who you form connections with would become your friends. It was hard seeing the situations they were in and accepting that you’re doing all you can.”

For Candelario, helping others in the community helped her learn how to be a leader.

“As a student, it was through these community service organizations that helped me become a leader,” she said. “I always doubted my ability to lead people until the moment that I was asked if I wanted to make a difference by forming an organization with others.”

UOG Triton Changemakers (TCM)

UOG Triton Changemakers is an organization that established itself at the start of this semester and aims towards providing aid for students and helping community members in the process.

Marina Babauta, a second-year health and physical education major, is the special events committee chairperson for TCM. 

Babauta expressed her initial interest in TCM. “I think the reason why I like it so much is because of my personality,” she said. “If I’m helping someone, I always have a reason to keep going and feel aligned with my purpose.”

For Babauta, who is passionate in helping anyone in any way she can, believes that being successful depends on how much of an impact you can make.

“[For TCM] and myself, [success] is all about what kind of change we’ve brought about in the community,” she said. “It’s all about the quality of the change and the impact of it.”

Babauta expressed that a trait she’s developed from community service would be courage and leadership.

“As a changemaker you always have to look for ways to do something differently,” she said. “It’s being able to ask the question ‘Am I making an impact?’”

She added, “To be a leader you must take care of your people and being a part of TCM has taught me that ‘iron sharpens iron’ meaning that if I want my people to be sharp then I have to be sharp too,” she said.

Community service comes in many forms, whether it be social welfare or promoting wellness in our community, and UOG Tritons continue to make a difference in the lives of others.

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Sean Hipolito, 21, a current third-year undergraduate student under the civil engineering program believes his college experience to have been worthwhile since beginning his academic journey in fall of 2020.

Upon enrolling at the University of Guam, Hipolito decided to major in civil engineering because of his love and appreciation for mathematics since he was young.

 “I majored in civil engineering because I have always loved the applied aspect of mathematics and wanted to build great things,” he said. “I expected it to be an academically challenging major and it did not really disappoint in that aspect.”

Additionally, Hipolito is a member of the UOG student organization ‘Society of American Engineering’ or ‘SAME’ and expressed how inviting UOG is to new and current students.

“There is a lot to be offered here at UOG in terms of student services and extracurricular clubs,” he said. “There are a lot of clubs trying to invite you to join from the moment you start attending college through club fairs.” 

He reflected on what he thought his college experience would be like prior to attending UOG. “When I thought about what my college experience would be like I imagined I would be studying with friends and simply hanging out together,” he said.

However, Hipolito felt disappointed that there were not many recreational areas on campus and recommended that there could be more to offer in having activities for students. 

“For example, I think they could offer activities that students could do like a universal student lounge so that students could congregate with one another,” he said. “So, they are not restricted towards interacting with people within their majors.”

Ultimately, Hipolito noted, “I think what matters to me is being able to meet many people and bringing people together,” he expressed. 

Hipolito gives advice to new students, “I think that ultimately as much as college is fun it is also really difficult and I would advise new students to really think about what motivates them to pursue this journey,” he said.

“For me, my biggest motivation for going to college is my parents because they have done a lot for me,” he said. “Every time I see them working hard, I remind myself that even though sometimes college life can be difficult it’ll all be worth it in the end.”

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Student fashion encompasses a lot of campus life as every student has a different sense of style and level of interest in deciding what to wear to classes.

One student, Yna Ysabelle Poquiz, a third-year social work major who is a fashion enthusiast and style icon shared why she believes that student fashion is the key to self-expression. 

“I think fashion is a way for people to express themselves and you can tell a lot about a person based on what they wear,” she said. “There’s so many ways that you can tell someone’s mood based on what they’re wearing on a certain day.”

When asked about her personal style, Poquiz expressed how her biggest inspiration is music, specifically K-pop because she believes idols are trendsetters in the fashion industry. 

“I would describe my style as being really girly and preppy,” she said. “I really admire K-pop groups such as Blackpink, Twice, and New Jeans because they have good style!”

She explains how she coordinates her outfits for a week on campus, “I tend to focus on color when putting an outfit together,” she said. “Personally, I love pastels and always try to incorporate them into my closet.”

Ultimately, fashion begins with purchasing clothes and when it comes down to it, Poquiz recommends ensuring that there’s a balance between shopping online and from local businesses. 

“When I buy clothes it’s a mix between shopping online and shopping on the island because it’s always good to buy local and support the community and local boutiques,” she expressed. “But as a student, what matters most to me is affordability and sustainability—fashion at the end of the day is about how it makes you feel.”

She believes that dressing up for classes can positively impact students’ academic performance. 

“I feel like when people dress up, they tend to feel better about themselves and focus more on lectures,” she said. “Really, I think when you look good you tend to feel good about what you’re doing.”

However, other students disagree and believe that there is a negative side to student fashion. 

Daniella Reginio, a first-year social work major is also interested in fashion but believes that fashion could negatively impact students as much as it could positively. 

“It really depends on the confidence and self-esteem that students have,” she said. “I think fashion could improve but also discourage students. Some students may feel empowered when looking at fashionable students, but others might feel discouraged for economic reasons or because they think current trends might not suit them.” 

Poquiz shared her aspirations on what she plans to do after graduating from UOG, “I really love being in social work and enjoy helping people and want to focus on helping women once I graduate from college,” she said. “But right now, I simply hope that students can find fashion as a means of expressing themselves and instilling confidence in themselves during their time in college.”

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