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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Before going back to sleep, she decides to check how her business is doing through her Shopify shop.

She scans through the inventory for their “Shy Babe” collection. In disbelief, she immediately puts her phone down then picks it up again.

In just three days since the launch of their new collection, everything was sold out. Filled with joy, she calls her best friend and business partner, Jasmine Balajadia, 22, to tell her about the news. The two begin to scream in excitement over the phone about their achievement.

Loyalty Lashes by Leona and Jasmine first launched on May 1.

“Our business was in the making for about a year and a half before our launch,” King said. “We finally decided to launch despite this pandemic, and things have been super good.”

Their business was created solely to provide the island of Guam with high quality, cruelty-free false lashes and lash accessories.

The pair first met in elementary school and have been best friends for about 13 years before they decided to be business partners.

Initially, King was going start the business alone, but it just didn’t feel right to her.

“About a month in, I was like, ‘Loyalty Lashes by Leona… I don’t know,’” King said. “When COVID wasn’t happening yet, and Jas and I were always spending time together, I thought, ‘What could go wrong with two best friends running a business?’”

They reveal that the hardest part about running a business is not having your best friend as a business partner, but it is managing their time because they both have other responsibilities.

Balajadia and King both work and attend school full-time. Balajadia is a high voltage electrician, while King is a financial accountant.

However, when they focus on their business, they feel at ease.

“Believe it or not, when it is time to work on the business, it really does take a load of our shoulders because we love what we do,” King said.

Although it has been a few months since the launch of their business, they are still new to the whole thing.

“For me, it is a learn-as-you-go,” Balajadia said.

Their top priority when running their business is to ensure that they provide good customer service.

Allyana Canete, 20, a customer, said she first discovered the business through Instagram.

When asked about what makes the business unique, Canete said it is their branding and customer service.

Soon, they hope to expand their product line.

Their main goal is to be able to expand their business globally.

“Besides growth, we want to go global,” Balajadia said. “We want to have our line in Ulta and Sephora.”

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Organized by Gretchen Andres, a former English teacher from Tiyan High School, the program began in 2017.  

Kimberly Casta, curriculum resource teacher at Tiyan High School, is now spearheading the program to guide students towards a better future.

Through the program, volunteer teachers hold private lunch tutoring sessions to students who plan to take the English and math placement test for the University of Guam.

According to Casta, the main goal of Titan Bridge is to offer eligible 12^th graders the opportunity for advancement, college exposure and college courses at a reduced rate.

“It may not seem like it at the time, but even if you take one class that’s almost $2,000 in savings,” Casta said. “If you are eligible for two then that’s almost $3,000 to $4,000 in savings and that makes a difference.”

Students can expect to pay for their application form, placement tests and other fees. Casta has been helping students to try and cover their costs.

Students would write a letter to a company of their choice asking for partial or full assistance. 

The program is also looking into other ways to try and cover student funds.

“They even considered asking if we make it a club and do fundraising, but it all depends on the busy schedule of a senior and the one lady running the program,” Casta said.

Water Under the Bridge

While covering costs is one challenge, the program has also had a difficult time getting students to qualify to actually enroll in its courses. 

Patrick Borja, a math instructor at Tiyan High School, hosts tutor lunch sessions to help students reach a passing score or higher in the math placement test. Recently, students have not been attaining a passing score in order to qualify in the program’s course.

“It does sadden me because it is a free-tuition college class that high schoolers could take at Tiyan instead of having to commute to UOG,” Borja said. “But what’s more important is helping students place into college-level math.”

Casta and Borja are working together to find a way for students to attain the passing score. One of the solutions proposed was for students to skip practice and to instead attend after school tutoring in order to become fully prepared for the placement test. 

High hopes for the program are at large because according to Sharlene Santos-Bamba, Ph.D., the associate dean of UOG’s College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, there are possibilities to expand course offerings in the program.

“UOG has had conversations with GDOE about expanding offerings. There is a process and criteria that have to be followed,” Bamba said.

The Bridge to Success

Former 2019 Titan Bridge student Desarie Mallari commented on how the program helped her through her college journey.

“The Titan Bridge program has helped me by giving me a taste of how college classes really are while in high school,” Mallari said. “Because I was able to get EN110 out of the way in my senior year, I got to add one more class in my schedule for my first semester in college.”

Casta said many students who have gone through the program are now attending the University of Guam. For those who have applied for colleges off-island, the program has gotten them to where they wanted. The program overall helped improve their reading, writing and math skills.

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The organization started in 1913 as the American Society for the Control of Cancer. At that time, a cancer diagnosis meant near-certain death. Their primary goal was to raise the public’s awareness about the disease.

In 1936, a legion of volunteers whose sole purpose was to wage war on cancer was organized, and in the years that followed eventually reorganized into the American Cancer Society.

In 1970, Guam joined the fight when Former First Lady Lourdes Camacho established the American Cancer Society Guam. No matter the location, the mission of ASC remains the same: save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer.

This mission carries on even in a pandemic. Since COVID-19 is especially dangerous to those with compromised immune systems, cancer patients are among those at the highest risk when exposed to the virus.

Community, Cancer and COVID-19

For Tina Noket, ACS senior community development manager, the fight against cancer goes on even during the lockdown.

A UOG alumna with a background in social work, Noket initially got involved with ACS through work before taking on her current position. She assists ACS in delivering cancer education and develop awareness programs and patients’ services for Guam’s community.

She also plays a part in organizing ACS’s many events, the most prominent being the annual Relay for Life held in May.

Other events include the Real Men Wear Pink campaign, various conferences, and training for medical professionals, survivors and the community to get involved.

Volunteers like Cerina Mariano offer their time to ACS and encourage others to do so.

“There’s different kinds of tasks for different kinds of strengths, and the staff is always so appreciative of any help they can get,” Mariano said.

While this year’s Relay for Life has been postponed due to the current COVID-19 situation, ACS continues to run operations remotely.

The pandemic has severely impacted the group’s annual fundraising activities such as Relay for Life and greatly limits the group’s efforts to gather.

“We are working with our volunteers on a plan that would allow us to continue to engage our community in the fight against cancer while adhering to the executive orders put forth by the Governor,” Noket said.

Cancer survivors like David Santos have also been affected by the cancelation of the event.

Santos was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2016 and had received treatment in the Philippines.

Santos wanted to run the Relay with his family this year in honor of his older brother, who lost his fight with the disease in September 2018.

“I want to do more for those who aren’t as lucky as I am,” Santos said. “Groups like ACS are important because they show the people looking for the cure how important their jobs are.”

Patients can reach still reach ACS via telephone. They are delivering limited patient services such as gas cards, scarves, and hats via the mail weekly. Patients can also call their 800.227.2345 toll-free number should they have any questions.

Noket encourages the community to come together in support now more than ever. “To quote Helen Keller, ‘Alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much,” Noket said.

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The UOG Endowment Foundation comprises of four full-time and three part-time employees who help in the betterment of the student life on campus.

One of the many ways that the Endowment Foundation helps UOG students is through offering scholarships.

All grants and scholarships are donation-based, according to Katrina Perez, the Endowment executive director.

“The scholarships are created by private donors because it holds a special place in their heart to help students who attend UOG and also because of how UOG changed their lives,” Perez said.

UOG Endowment Associate Director, Myracle Mugol, said “Criteria for scholarships are formed through private donors and Corporate organizations of the University of Guam.”

The UOG Endowment Foundation holds campaigns that try to help the students of UOG in raising funds for the school.

One campaign is the G is for Giving, an Alumni Fundraising, which is currently ongoing until Dec. 31,2019.

The purpose of this campaign is to raise funds for scholarships, research, and programs by encouraging alumni giving.

“We have donors choose a specific program or cause they have and affinity for, this helps students with certain expenses for their field of study, for example, the school of education would help a handful of students pay for their Praxis test, the School of Nursing will help students in buying pre-nursing gear,” Mugol said.

The G is for Giving campaign is held every Tuesday 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. at different locations on campus. Different student organizations and tables which will have collections boxes open for the public and people to donate any given amount.

If one were to donate twenty-five dollars, they would receive a limited-edition G is for Giving shirt as a token of appreciation for donating.

 “We do receive a lot of people who volunteer, whether they’re military helping with the beautification of UOG or people assisting with the campaigns,” Myracle said.

If you’re interested in helping this foundation or planning on interning somewhere, UOG endowment does accept volunteers and interns to assist with campaigns such as the G is for giving or other events.

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According to UOG associate professor of nursing, Ana Joy Mendez, there is a lack of initiative in the island community to get screened for cancer, causing a rise in cancer rates. This becomes a problem when doctors diagnose people with colorectal cancer late into the disease. Even with colonoscopies, it may be too late to find solutions for these individuals.

As a way to combat this terrible disease, the Guam Community Outreach Core has been developed to increase awareness for cancer and how each individual can prevent this disease. COC is a Guam based outreach program and is part of the UOG Cancer Research Center. It is one of the shared cores with the CRC at the University of Hawaii.

According to the co-principle investigator of COC, Lilnabeth Somera, COC’s main goals are to provide support for cancer research projects and to work with the community to raise awareness about cancer screening and prevention.

“The Community Outreach Core has been able to contribute to more awareness about cancer burden,” Somera said.

COC has taken part in a series of health fairs. This included a symposium in June 2019 that addressed the need to raise awareness about colorectal cancer.

Regarding colorectal cancer, COC makes efforts to connect with the youth in order to implement cancer activism early on. Throughout various points in the year, the members of COC organize an interactive booth that is usually set up at the UOG English and communication building.

According to health educator, Angelina Mummert, along with Somera, the booth is a large, inflatable colon named Kulu. Students and faculty can walk through this inflatable colon where it showcases various stages of colorectal cancer. This offers insight into this specific type of cancer and highlights the importance of getting an early screening.

Somera said that COC is currently working with four clinics to raise awareness about cancer on the island. They have provided tool kits for them and they are preparing to send COC a six-month survey to see if there have been any changes in the rates of colorectal cancer screening among islanders.

Somera also said that it is vital that individuals 50 years and older take part in screening for any type of cancer. The program makes it a goal to encourage at least 80 percent of people to get screened for cancer. However, only 64 percent of the community has done so. Early detection is very important especially since there has been an influx of Guam cancer cases where doctors diagnose patients during the very late stages of the disease.

“Cancer prevention saves lives,” Somera said.

The Guam Community Outreach Core is found at the Guam Cancer Research Center in House 7 at the University of Guam Dean’s Circle.

For more information, visit the Guam Cancer Research Center’s website at http://www.guamcrc.org.

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The second-year UOG biology major has taken up leadership roles at UOG.

In September 2019, Bataclan assembled Merit students to meet with officials at the UOG Financial Aid office and the offices of Sen. Joe San Augustin and Sen. Amanda Shelton to change PL 34-151.

Public Law 34-151 was signed into law by Gov. Eddie Baza Calvo on Dec. 28, 2018.

The bill uses a Merit student’s Pell grant to cover the initial cost of tuition where the Student Financial Assistance Fund pays for the remaining amount.

Bataclan said the Pell Grant provides much needed funding for academic success outside of tuition and should be a refunded back to Merit students.

“It’s a lot of shared sentiment between us even though we have differing opinions,” she said. “We all utilize the Pell Grant for the betterment of our lives.”

In previous semesters, Bataclan used her Pell Grant to help pay for extra expenses when she attended an enrichment program surrounding health disparities on Guam, mainly regarding women, at Portland State University.

At present, senators are still deliberating the proposed changes for PL 34-151.

“At this point it’s just a waiting game and preparation for any future public hearings and any future testimonies,” Bataclan said.

Despite taking 21 credits this semester, Bataclan continues to fight for the Merit students so that they can have a voice.

“I do it because I know this is what’s right,” she said. “It’s not only affecting the students its also affecting some of the families of these students.”

Bataclan said getting involved with extracurricular programs allowed her to develop her leadership and scholastic skills, which helped her to become successful in high school.

Bataclan was selected for the Merit Award Program, which covers her tuition and fees at UOG for four academic years, and provides her with a monthly stipend and book allowance.

Bataclan attributes much of her academic success to her family. “It was more of like wanting to make my family proud,” Bataclan stated.

The post Seanna Bataclan: a force for positivity and change appeared first on The Triton's Call.

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. It is a condition in which the body’s intestinal lining is inflamed. At a time when students are enjoying more freedom and gearing up for college, Bayot had learned he would have this disease for life. Check out the latest exipure reviews.

Despite this news, Bayot stuck with his plans to continue his studies after high school.

He enrolled in classes at Guam Community College in 2014 majoring in Medical Assisting. After one year of taking classes, complications in his treatment forced him to take a break from his studies.

“I did have to stop taking classes for a year and a half because I was constantly being admitted to hospitals in the Philippines when I couldn’t handle the pain,” Bayot said. “Even when I came back, it was hard because I needed to get IV treatments on the daily. There were even times I had to go more than once per day. So I had to schedule my life around that.”

He explained that his treatment plan includes taking immunosuppressant, a maintenance drug to reduce the symptoms caused by Crohn’s disease. While the medicine can be administered in local clinics, it must be ordered from a US supplier.

Now 21, Bayot has settled into a familiar routine of receiving the medication every two months through IV, with sessions lasting up to four hours. This is how Exipure works.

He has resumed taking classes at GCC and remains in stable health,­­­—though the possibility of a flare up is always a concern. Any serious complications would require him to take another leave from his studies to seek medical help elsewhere.

“If I wanted to see a specialist I would have to keep going back to the Philippines,” Bayot said. “Which can be difficult considering I’m a student here and a majority of my life is on this island.”

Despite these concerns, Bayot remains in good spirits and continues to manage his disease. He will continue classes and is hoping to graduate with an associate of science degree in medical assisting in 2019.

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