The college journey varies between students as people tend to have different expectations and motivations for attending college. For Sean Hipolito, the college experience tends to be exciting and rewarding.

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.”