With highly anticipated summer premieres and notifications turned on to remind us when our favorite series’ newest episodes will be out, we spoke to a couple of University of Guam Tritons to see how their summer watchlists are shaping up.

The first streaming platform to head to was HBO Max as math major Kai Blas has already been making plans to watch all of Makoto Shinkai’s movies once summer hits. Not all of the director’s movies are available on HBO Max, but Blas suggests Weathering With You on the platform for anyone interested. “I wanna go through the summer watching all of his films, just so I can have a little more context of the evolution of his movies,” Blas shares, intrigued by someone he considers to be a director that everyone should be watching.

Keeping with the anime theme but heading to a different streaming service, Crunchyroll, Blas shares his intentions to watch an anime called Ranking of Kings. “I’ve been hearing a lot of good talk about it. I’ve yet to watch it,” Blas stated. “Everyone recommends it to me. A lot of people are saying it’s in the top ten on their [best anime] lists.”

For those with a Disney+ subscription, you can join UOG student Jewel Morrison in preparing for the upcoming Marvel movies coming out. Morrison, a second year psychology student, is itching to watch the newest installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, which comes out this summer. “I’m gonna have to binge-watch all the movies before I watch this one…I’ve been wanting to,” Morrison declared following how she wants to make sure she hasn’t accidentally missed any major plot points before going in to see the new film.

Blas joined in on the Marvel conversation as he recalled that the sequel to Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is being released on June 2. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. We gotta watch it! The first one was great,” Blas expressed, inviting his fellow Tritons to get excited for Miles Morales’ Spider-Man.

The liveliest responses came from Morrison’s enthusiasm for Barbie, which is expected to be released on July 21. “I heard about it from one of my friends. I just watched the trailer a couple days ago,” Morrison explained. Even Blas shared his intent to see the film post seeing the trailer. “I’m pretty excited watching the trailer…I’m not too familiar with [the toy] but I grew up with cousins that had Barbies.”

Despite the seemingly positive interest, Morrison shares what she believes looks like a bad choice. “The only thing I don’t like about the movie – that I’m not excited for – is the fact that Ryan Gosling is playing Ken. Personally, I don’t think he has the looks for it.” Regardless of this opinion, Morrison’s eagerness to see the film hasn’t faltered.

The duo implores their fellow Tritons to make sure they head to the theaters with them to show support for these upcoming releases. If you aren’t set on heading to the theaters just yet, make sure you are still signed up to your favorite streaming service – or borrow a friend’s Crunchyroll, Disney+ or HBO account. Have fun sitting back and watching your favorite films without the worry of upcoming deadlines looming over you!

The post Netflix and Actually Chilling: Summer Watchlist appeared first on The Triton's Call.

From ensuring all necessary forms are completed to taking a moment to breathe it all in, two seniors, Marian ‘Mar’ Salenga and Mikaylla ‘Kaylla’ Alcairo, share their thoughts about it all as well as some advice for future graduates of UOG!

With so many other factors at play in her life right now, such as arranging to relocate post-graduation, Alcairo, double majoring in Communication and Psychology, shares that she had to make sure she began preparation for everything needed the semester prior to this to relieve her anxiety and suggests those who are graduating soon do the same thing.

Salenga, who is majoring in Psychology, shares what initially made her feel as though the process to graduate would be so unstable. “I’ve heard many unfortunate stories on the topic of not having enough credits to graduate…a little unsettling but exciting because I’m almost there,” she clarifies. “[E]verything’s completed, it’s just my final semester grades that matter right now!”

A highlighted portion for both girls revolves around those who surround and encourage them. “The people who are supporting me feel proud. It’s such a big accomplishment in our eyes, so I think we feel similar emotions,” Salenga states. She feels as though such a big accomplishment touches the lives of those around her as well as her own, especially her parents, who she acknowledges for continuing to take care of and support her. Alcairo agrees with the sentiment and says that although she did not think that having something to celebrate graduating would be important, all her friends and family are doing a lot to make sure they are able to show support.

There is just something about this step of life that is bittersweet to leave. Salenga and Alcairo know that they will miss being a student at the university. The pair of friends agree in their responses in that they know despite graduating, they are still learning and want to continue to be educated, even if they don’t continue with schooling. “I am enjoying the embrace of all this knowledge,” Salenga adds onto how she wishes she saw a higher appreciation towards education. 

The duo is also fond of their friendships and have found that growing at the university has also shed new light on how they view relationships. 

Alcairo affectionately shares the ones she believes she will be missing the most. “The people I met in my classes – that I have had several classes with. I formed a friendship with them, even if we don’t have the same friend groups outside of class, the people I always sit next to.”

Our two graduates ensured they left some words of wisdom for their peers who have yet to graduate:

“Show up…Follow your advisor. Make use of the things that the university offers.”

From, Kaylla

“My advice is to take advantage of the education. Use it. Challenge it. See the benefit in it. Focus on a good balance between work, fun, loved ones, and yourself.”

Best, Mar

The post Gearing Up for Grad appeared first on The Triton's Call.

He gives credit to his advisor and mentor, John Salas, saying that Salas had everything to do with the success that Leon Guerrero has accomplished since graduating from UOG. 

Salas was a major influence in Leon Guerrero’s decision to choose the hospitality management route 

“When I got into the hospitality management division, I kicked it into full gear. I moved quickly and I got my degree. I was on the Dean’s List towards the end.”

Leon Guerrero has been working with United Airlines since 1996, back when it was known as Continental Airlines. He has since worked his way up the ranks and is now a system operations representative. “As the ‘middleman’ between everyone within the airlines, this line of work can be demanding, especially during peak hours of traffic within the airport.”

Outside of his main line of work at United, Leon Guerrero also takes time to do freelance writing for Guam Sports Network. He says that continuing to work for GSPN is his outlet for fun. 

His reasoning for choosing this specific line of work is that he wants to help the community and finds great satisfaction in uplifting the athletes on the island. “Sports has always been an avenue…an alternative for not going out and committing crime or doing drugs. Sports is that thing that they do to combat that,” Leon Guerrero shares. 

With GSPN, he has assisted in throwing events such as pre-season tournaments and all-star games, and he has gone overseas to cover local athletes in their respective sports.

Leon Guerrero is part of Guam’s national team for the sport and has gone overseas to compete in international tournaments. In 2019, he earned the title of the highest ranking Guamanian to participate in the Bowling World Cup, placing tenth. He continues to compete in the sport and is planning on attending the Philippine International Open in May.

Driven by his want to elevate young athletes combined with his experience with bowling, Leon Guerrero has proven to be a vital part in the development of a bowling league for the Independent Interscholastic Athletic Association of Guam. 

The IIAAG bowling league is a project that Leon Guerrero is spending a lot of time with. All of the coaching is free and he ensures himself moments with most schools involved to provide as much assistance as he can to young bowlers in the league. 

Many of the athletes are completely new to sports. “They’re finding out that this sport of bowling is something that they can challenge themselves with – mentally and physically.”

To current students at UOG that are interested in his career path or are following a similar degree program to him, Leon Guerrero wants to let you know that there are jobs out there for you! He has continuously seen more jobs opening up and is confident that UOG students have the education to excel in the field.

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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.

The post Alumni Highlight: Young Watchdog to Leading Activist appeared first on The Triton's Call.

The University of Guam (UOG) policy requires that students must declare a major once 30 college credits have been completed, so for those of you who have yet to reach that goal, there is still time for exploration.

The First-Year Seminar Course, or FY101, might not sound like the most important class, but two of UOG’s Senior Student Academic Counseling Specialists and FY101 professors, Joann Sudo and Cyaundra Shimizu Quitugua, share their thoughts as to why they believe FY101 is a vital part of having a successful freshman year and future at UOG.

Sudo and Quitugua acknowledge the fact that most students come into UOG not knowing what is needed to attain a degree.

“As undeclared advisors, we completely understand a lot of the anxiety that goes into graduating from high school and then not knowing their footing when it comes to the college experience,” Sudo shared. “As First-Year Seminar instructors, we allow and support students to explore the different degree programs that are offered here at UOG.”

The class grants students four to five months of exploration. It provides students with an insight of what their futures will look like based on what degree they may want to pursue.

Both Sudo and Quitugua take the time to introduce valuable resources to narrow down options for students in each of their FY101 classes. The professors ensure to provide as much as they can from sharing personal knowledge to available contact information.

“We become that resource for them,” Sudo states. “We’re going to give you anything and everything you need to know to be successful in your first year.”

One of the resources FY101 introduces to students is the Career Development Office, or CDO, which can help students with identifying what their strengths and interests are. Once detecting their prospective path, students can be directed onto courses fitting to them at UOG as well as into their prospective career fields.

For students who might be leaning towards a major but are still not one hundred percent sure, it is still important to take the right steps when choosing classes. 

“Even though you’re undeclared, take these courses,” Quitugua adds in response to how she wants to guide students who are still unsure of their degree. “These are the courses that you need to fulfill the major that you think you want to take or you want to study.”

Sudo and Quitugua have been described as ‘lenient college moms’ who know that at a certain point they need to start pushing their kids–students–to make the final adult decisions.

It is through FY101 that these instructors are able to get to know their students and help cultivate a curriculum that best fits each of them.

If you would like to contact either Professor Sudo or Quitugua for any further information, both have contact information available on the UOG Directory. During the regular hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Professor Sudo encourages students seeking any information to visit the Triton Welcome Center. The center is located to the left of the fieldhouse and there are also student workers available if it is preferable to speak to a peer over an advisor.

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As a UOG student, whether you are a CHamoru or not, some students believe it would be worthwhile to make an effort to connect to Guam by displaying respect for its language and culture.

Mikayla Angoco, a sophomore biomedical major, explains why she believes it is important for students to immerse themselves in Guam’s culture. 

“If you are a student and finding ways to connect with our island’s culture and language, then you are not only representing the University of Guam, but the whole island, which I think is extremely beautiful,” Angoco shares.

Angoco understands that it is nice to represent the university by simply attending, graduating and becoming a loyal alumnus, but she thinks that more can be done to connect to UOG and the island.

“Even if a student is not CHamoru, it would be beneficial for them to have that flexibility with learning a new language that is different from their ethnic background,” she said. 

Not only would it be beneficial to be able to understand another language, but Angoco also imagines that taking a CHamoru class at UOG would make any student feel as though they are contributing to the island’s community and build personal self-esteem.

“My dad would always tell me that our ancestors had an objective for the future,” Angoco says as she reflects on her father’s words of wisdom of the island’s tradition and values. “With that, hopefully I’d be able to pass it onto the younger generations as well as holding onto my ancestor’s legacy.”

According to Angoco, Guam’s culture and language is becoming less prevalent than before, “If all students from UOG, whether or not they are CHamoru, are able to take the time and put in the effort to learn, then our island will definitely flourish.”

If looking to further look into a CHamoru language or culture class, language classes are available year-round, although respective levels of the language are offered at different semesters. There is also a CHamoru culture class available every year during the fall semester. If looking for additional CHamoru or other Micronesian courses on the UOG website or catalog, they are located under the ‘Modern Languages’ courses.

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