Taking on new tasks and challenges is nothing new to Mason Obispo.

The University of Guam’s Sigma Tau Delta chapter, Alpha Zeta Xi, recently inducted Obispo and nine other members into their chapter. Sigma Tau Delta is an International English honor society. 

Obispo said by joining this honor society he was able to associate himself with a group that aims to perpetuate literature and English the best they could. 

 “I’m optimistic about being in the organization,” he said. “I believe it will push me to work more diligently to maintain a 3.0 GPA.”

Obispo said it is difficult to juggle work and classes. Being in an organization that holds its members to high academic standards has proven to be even more challenging for him. 

However, he takes care of his responsibilities when they come up, but also plans ahead to find time for himself.  

As a freshman at the University of Guam in Fall 2017, Obispo decided to major in English literature with a minor in writing. Obispo chose this major because he wanted to improve literacy in English, writing, and reading comprehension.  

Obispo noted that he was not confident in his English writing skills in high school, so declaring as an English major was a new opportunity to improve. 

Obispo enjoys watching the news and playing video games. 

“ These activities are best spent after a long day,” he said. 

 To help others on the same path, Obispo suggests to have an open mind about the stories they read. 

“Keeping an open mind results in a wider exposure to literary works that are worth appreciating,” he said. 

He added that having a well-rounded reading list would be helpful to UOG students. 

“Going out of your comfort zone for anything, even a literary genre could change your perspective about life,” he said.

Obispo, now a junior, continues to take on new challenges. Although Obispo has already declared a major, he wants to push himself even further by declaring another major in philosophy and a minor in political science. 

Through his academic journey at UOG, he found himself more interested in other majors and would like to learn more.