For over 50 years, the Republic of Palau Student Organization(RPSO) has been providing a helping hand to Palauan students new to University of Guam.

From their very first day, new students from Palau are able to immediately notice RPSO’s presence because it uniquely represents their nation. This helps the individuals interest as Palau is something familiar to them, compared to everything else in their new surroundings.

O.J. Blailes is a freshman at the university who recently moved to Guam for educational purposes, and is described by his peers as hard working and congenial. His upbeat personalty and great sense of humor makes him such an approachable guy, and his compassion for his friends is one of the greatest traits he possesses.

Blailes was born in Palau and raised in the state of Airai, which is located at the southern most part of the island of Babeldaob, the largest island in the entire archipelago.

He moved to Guam in the spring of 2014 and has been an active member of RPSO since the day he discovered it existed.

He did not know what to expect when he heard about the organization, but when he became a part of it, he found something way more than just simple fundraisers and activities. He found a family that supported him in almost all aspects, one that was there for him when he needed someone.

“When I first came to Guam I was very clueless, I did not understand the way the university worked,” said Blailes. “I was very lucky to have found such a great group of people like RPSO because they all helped me out so much when I first got here.”

Blailes expresses the great value of the organization and how it provides Palauan students with a voice in the community, he also urges all Palauan students who have not heard of the organization, or have not had a chance to join it to go and see what it is like because, “it is worth it,” Blailes said.

Clifford Kyota, the organization’s advisor shared his story about when he was still a student at the university and how he was the organization’s president for four years. He talked about how RPSO really brought all of the Palauan students together and gave them a voice.

The current president of the student organization, Shilwitt Quichocho said, “We are here to represent our nation and our people here at UOG and to provide our members with a back-bone to all of their needs and to be their number one resource.”

With almost 40 plus members, the student organization is also well known for being very active in the community. “We are proud people,” said Quichocho. “We want to make sure that not only the Palauans know we are here, we want everyone to know that we are a contributing part of the community.”

RPSO is dedicated to participating and helping out in as much school events as they can, they are widely known for providing great entertainment like singing and traditional Palauan dancing to many school events.

RPSO is a student organization that has the right set of values. They are here to represent their nation and their heritage, and to provide their people with the necessary resources to accomplish what they desire.