One of the most popular methods that these students utilize is partying. You cannot have the classic college experience without a little bit of partying right?

Now I am not talking about the typical house party or a small gathering. I am talking about partying at a nightclub.

To ensure that you are not partying the wrong way, here are 10 things that you should know when you are partying at a nightclub.

1. KNOW YOUR LIMIT

You do not want to be known as the person that has to get carried out of the club by your friends, or be the reason your friends have to stop having a good time because they have to babysit you.

Having a couple of drinks is fine, yes, but please know your limit. Do not let anyone peer pressure you into drinking beyond your limit.

2. DO NOT BE A CREEP

Everyone knows that there are an abundance of attractive people that go clubbing.

It is fine to approach them and to try and engage in a conversation. But please know boundaries and read the room. Do not do anything to make them feel uncomfortable.

3. DO NOT USE THE RESTROOM WITHOUT WASHING YOUR HANDS

So many people are in a hurry to get back to partying that they forget about basic hygiene.

On top of that they are grabbing drinks, shaking people’s hands, and touching other people with unwashed hands. Please be considerate of others.

4. DON’T LEAVE YOUR HOUSE LOOKING LIKE A MESS

Make sure you dress appropriately. Yes this is Guam, but don’t come to the club in your pajamas.

Do not come dressed in something that you typically would not leave your house in. Not to say that you need to dress to impress, but please have a little pride in your appearance.

5. DO NOT JUST STAND AROUND ON THE DANCE FLOOR

If you are on the dance floor, please dance.

If you do not want to, then there is plenty of space outside the dance floor for people to hang
out. The sole purpose of the DJ and the dance floor is for people to express themselves and have a good time with their friends, so do not stand in the way of people doing that.

6. DO NOT CROWD THE DJ BOOTH

DJs spend a lot of time and money honing their craft and it would be difficult for them to do their job if you are constantly in their space and keep them from performing at a proficient level.

Their equipment is also very expensive so you do not want to be the person that spills a drink on their equipment, or knocks over their equipment.

7. BE NICE TO YOUR BARTENDERS

The bartenders work hard to serve hundreds of people at a fast pace throughout the night. They have to make so many different drinks without really catching a break.

Yes the line may be long or your drink takes a while to make, but please try not to give them a hard time. One more thing,

Please tip your bartenders

8. SHOOT YOUR SHOT

There is plenty of time in the night to make that move.

Do not be that person who finally gathers up the courage when they are in the parking lot and
getting ready to go home. Shoot your shot while you are there already. The worst thing they can say is no, so just do it.

9. DO NOT BE DISRESPECTFUL TO THE PEOPLE YOU ENCOUNTER

You never know who could be having a bad day or a bad night. Egos tend to clash the club but be the bigger person in any situation, especially when there is alcohol involved and people are already not thinking straight.

Respect goes a long way and disrespect will only get you so far.

10. DON’T GET INTO A FIGHT

In relation to number nine, being disrespectful at any point can potentially lead to fighting. A fight is the last thing you want to happen because it ruins the entire atmosphere.

Now there is security dragging people out of the club, the DJs have to stop the music, the police show up, and the club can potentially get shut down for the night.

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Kyra Perez

Kyra Perez, a Communication student, won the Award of Excellence at the 2023 Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts on her micro documentary called “Kia.”

The BEA Festival is an international digital media and broadcast competition for faculty and students. The Festival typically receives over 1,500 entries every year from over 300 schools.

Perez’s win allowed for UOG to move from 79th to 69th place in the festival’s overall ranking, but the win did not stop there. Perez says that her award signifies that UOG students are just as talented as the rest of the nation in the film industry. 

“This award means that we’re just as capable as other schools in the nation. UOG is so separated from the rest of the nation’s colleges, so it’s difficult to feel comparable sometimes,” Perez said. 

“Kia” is a story about how paddling athlete, Kiara “Kia” Quichocho finds resiliency through battling meningitis, a disease caused from contaminated waters from training to represent Guam. 

Although this is not an award Perez was expecting, she says that the award has inspired her to submit more films into future film festivals, and that it has reaffirmed that she is on the right career track.

When asked about what was next for Perez, she explains what she sees herself doing in the near future.

“Filmmaking is a difficult career choice. I have many ideas, but finding the time and resources to carry them out is difficult. For now, I’ll focus on school and hopefully get a few more projects under my belt before graduating,” she said. 

Christian Gyles Ramos

Christian Gyles Ramos, a Business Administration student, received the 2023 Truman Scholarship award. 

UOG was established when Harry Truman was president, making this a living memorial for his contribution and support to the University. Ramos was dubbed the 20th UOG student to receive this $30,000 award to pursue his graduate studies. 

Out of 705 applicants from around the world, Ramos was one out of 62 that were selected to receive the scholarship. 

Ramos says this scholarship gives him the motivation to continue his graduate studies. “To know that I am able to represent Guam and the Triton spirit is one of my greatest and biggest honors,” he said.

Because the scholarship application was a rigorous process with essay questions and constant conferences with an advisor, Ramos says he did not expect to be one out of 62 applicants to receive the award.

“There were even times where I wanted to step down from the process, but my Truman advisor, Dr. Gena Rojas along with my friends provided me the motivation and support that I needed,” Ramos explained. 

Ramos shares how rewarding it felt to have the financial burden relieved from his shoulders. 

“My parents are my biggest inspirations and motivations because even with their struggles of having to provide for me and my nine siblings, they took on multiple jobs, worked day and night just so we can have a roof to live under, food on the table, and proper education,” Ramos said. 

Ramos is just like an average student at UOG, who works hard everyday to get through his classes. This award excites him to move forward with his future aspirations. 

“There are also other opportunities such as leadership conferences and professional mentorship which will help me as I become a future leader and public servant,” he said. 

Ramos will be on his way to the Truman Scholars Leadership Week in May which will be held in Liberty, Missouri. In this conference, he will get the chance to meet the fellow Truman Scholars from around the world. 

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1. Exercise

Workout or do some sort of physical activity. Now is the time to burn those excuses away by getting on a treadmill or walking around the scenic views of Tumon. By scenic I mean staring up at the iconic whale peeking out of Sea Grill.

Studies show that walking at least 20 minutes a day may reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 30 percent. As you may know (or not), heart disease is one of the leading health-related deaths on Guam. Do yourself a favor by getting rid of the Spam in the grocery list and replacing it with a nice walk!

2. Learn to Cook

Learning to cook can be a hit or miss, but it never hurts to try. It will only hurt if you burn yourself. You are already bored enough to get to this point, so might as well do it. If you are a beginner, start easy. Duh. My favorite easy recipes when I was learning how to cook were Instant Noodles. Today, I cooked boiled eggs. #Progress. 

3. Go Geocaching

Did you know that Guam actually has geocaching? Geocaching is a fun way to get an easy 20 minute walk in your day. The Geocache app allows for you to find hidden objects around the island through hints and clues that fellow geocachers post. If you are feeling mysterious, outdoorsy, and up for an adventure, this is the activity for you!

4. Go Thrifting

Salvation Army, a popular thrift store on Guam, has a warehouse located in Tamuning that is filled with pre-loved clothing, gadgets, handbags, and many other vintage items. You can literally find an old DS or GameBoy in there on a lucky day. If you are a shopper, this place is a must-try experience. 

5. Plan a Party

Planning a party can be hectic, but it does not always have to be that way. Planning a party should be as fun as the party. And if it is not, then you are not doing it right. It does not even have to be anything big! Get someone to do it with you and invite your friends and/or family. If you do not have any, go back to number one and re-read this story.

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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!

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Last year was the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic that the film festival took place in front of a full crowd. The theme was “One Step Forward”, as in moving forward from the pandemic that almost stopped the world from operating at a normal pace. This year, the film festival will be taking place at the University of Guam inside the lecture hall. The 8th annual UOG Film Festival will be taking place on campus for the first time in four years.

This year’s class that is coordinating the event has double the amount of students as last year’s class. Reese Meno, a communications major who is taking part in coordinating the film festival explained how her and her classmates are preparing for this event. “With a bigger class this year we’ve been able to set a task list and divide various tasks into different committees such as decorating and sponsorships”. The students work diligently to ensure the film festival is a success for not only themselves, but for all the filmmakers and the people who plan to attend. 

This year’s film festival will be different according to Tatiana Ananich, another communications major who is taking part in coordinating the event. She states, “Two major differences are the venue and lesser restrictions, and because the Covid-19 pandemic isn’t as much of a threat as it was last year our guests won’t have to abide by as many rules and regulations”. The last film festival happened during a time when masks were still required and the amount of people at indoor events were limited. Almost a week before last year’s film festival, the governor lifted mask restrictions as well as the limited number of people allowed at indoor events, conflicting with the coordinating of the 2022 UOG Film Festival.

Of course there will be a few challenges along the way as coordinating events can always have its difficulties. “Overall I think time is our biggest challenge. Planning is essential, because we have to take into consideration film time, getting in touch with speakers, reaching out to sponsors, and working together to make sure everything comes together the day of”, says Meno. Although the film festival coordinates have their challenges, the sky is truly the limit because the students as well as the filmmakers are extremely talented. 

Overall, this year’s Film Festival will be one for the ages. The coordinators and filmmakers have been working day in and day out to ensure that this will be one of the most exciting events at UOG. This will be a festival you do not want to miss out on. Don’t forget to mark your calendar for May 5th. Before you celebrate Cinco de Mayo, come to the University of Guam Film Festival and watch some amazing films displayed by the students at UOG. For more information, follow @uogfilmfestival on Instagram for details about the upcoming event. 

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The 6-minute film features pairs of pen pals sharing their experiences, the changes pen palling brought to their relationships and the beauty behind sending letters.

Reel Voices, a documentary filmmaking program under SDAFF, made the film possible for Baek. Throughout the summer of 2020, the 16-year-old high school junior worked hand-in-hand with Reel Voices, who provided mentors and all other resources needed to create her film.

“Even though production and filming did not go as it would have if we were not in a pandemic, I think this created an opportunity for me to have these experiences,” Baek stated.

To Baek, the hardest part about the creation of her film was narrowing down all of her ideas. Her choice was greatly influenced by wanting to create something unique to herself and her own experiences.

“Sending letters has always been something that I enjoy, and it does mean a lot to me,” Baek said. “I wanted to share that with the rest of the world.”

Currently, Baek is interning at Pacific Arts Movement, the organization in charge of SDAFF. As part of their marketing team, Baek hopes to get more knowledge and experience in public relations, which she is looking to pursue in the future.

“We do not really get to see Asian people in film and media,” Baek said. “Being able to do work that highlights these people especially, it really gives them a platform to showcase their art, culture and stories.”

If given the chance to make another film, Baek would like to showcase stories of Asian film in media or immigrant stories like her parents.

“I think it would be cool to share immigrant stories from people who immigrated at different ages from different countries and backgrounds to show the diversity and work people put into moving just to create a better life for themselves,” Baek shared.

With her passion and hardwork, Baek is looking to be a promising young individual. In the future, Baek just hopes to be known as someone who holds human relationships in high regard.

Baek has no plans for anything new at the moment, but is open to the idea of creating a blog in the future.

For now, Andrea Baek’s film “Snail Mail” is available to watch online at Pacific Arts Movement’s Youtube channel.

The post Andrea Baek on her first documentary and future in film appeared first on The Triton's Call.

On Saturday, Dec. 12, a local band, Smiles Davis, eased back to playing live with an evening performance at the Coffee Slut coffee shop in Agana. They performed cover songs ranging from Maxwell, Daniel Caesar and Childish Gambino. 

The four-piece ensemble includes Vince Mesa on guitar, Martin Honor doing the main vocals and the keys, RJ Aguon on the drums and Eric Tydingco on the bass. 

According to Mesa, the band has only done four gigs so far. This recent performance is the second time they’ve played live again since the lockdown. 

Smiles Davis first formed in February earlier this year. However, each of the band members have all created music separately before the formation of the band. 

“I’ve played with a lot of groups over the years and I’ve recorded with a lot of artists,” Mesa said. “But whenever you find a good drum and bass combo, you have to hold on to that.” 

Mesa remains hopeful for gigs and bookings in the future. 

“We do what it takes [to get back],” Mesa said. 

For those interested in booking the band, contact or visit the Smiles Davis Instagram page at @smilesdavis671.

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Flores will guide participants through an afternoon of constructing items such as scarves, suncatchers and banners.

All pieces during the workshop will be formed through batik, a technique of creating designs by dyeing on textures and then waxing areas meant to remain undyed.

The cost to attend the workshop is $55. This includes items used towards four different projects.

Flores, who hosts workshops from her garden studio in Inarajan, is a retired advisory president and historian for Historic Inalahan Foundation, Inc.

Much of her life’s work has centered around the revitalization of the CHamoru culture and encouraging young artists on Guam to further their talents.

Judy’s Batik Studio is located on in Tonggan Way St. in Inarajan.

Tickets are available for purchase through the event page posted by the Guam Batik Gallery on Eventbrite.

Those looking for more information on Flores and her workshops can contact the number 671-828-8040 or visit the Guam Batik Gallery website.

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Originally, Yatar postponed writing “Maybe” for a year. After gaining experience from a past relationship, Yatar was took advantage of the lockdown to revisit and finish the piece. 

Experience is one of the key factors in her songwriting. 

“A lot of times when I write music, I can either write a song in one day or it takes me a couple years,” Yatar said. 

As a current fourth-year student at the University of Guam, Yatar uses music to maintain some balance. 

After tearing her ACL in 2019, it gave her clarity in her priorities. Music and education are at the top of her list.

The next step for Yatar as an artist is to improve her skills. 

Before the end of the year, she plans to release her EP album. For the long-term, she strives to make her dream a reality. 

“I want my music to be played worldwide. I want to be known,” Yatar said. “It’s a dream and that’s ultimately what I want to do with my music.” 

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