Elementary education major Naomi Jean Blas sends love to her family in the bleachers during the University of Guam Fanuchånan 2024 Commencement Ceremony on Dec. 15 at the Calvo Field House. (Photo courtesy of University of Guam)
The University of Guam conferred degrees on Sunday to 217 graduates at its Fanuchånan 2024 Commencement Ceremony in the Calvo Field House. The number includes 116 bachelor’s degrees and its highest ever number of master’s degrees at 101.
Contributing to the increase in master’s degrees is the new Master of Accountancy program, which launched in 2022. The program has now produced a total of 30 graduates, including eight this semester. The Professional Master of Business Administration program, with 18 graduates, and the Master of Arts in Micronesian Studies program, with 12 graduates, are tallying their largest cohorts in the last 10 years. And the Master of Education in Reading program is matching its previous record with 24 graduates this semester.
On the undergraduate side, the largest number of graduates this semester is in the Bachelor of Business Administration program with 25 graduates, followed by psychology and accounting.
UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez highlighted that UOG’s history spans 72 years, and today, four new buildings being constructed on campus are a testament to its continued pursuit to expand the professionals on island in a broad range of fields.
“Our graduates are in high demand,” she said. “We have become a major trusted source of high-quality academic programs … to contribute relevant discoveries and solutions … and to advance communities.”
(From left) Agriculture majors Scott Davis Jr., Risel Uludong, and Aubrie Uson and biology majors Sherald Mae Alvarez and Antoni Badowski stand for the presentation of degree candidates from the College of Natural and Applied Sciences. (Photo courtesy of University of Guam)
UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez addresses the graduating class of Fanuchånan 2024 on Dec. 15 in the Calvo Field House. (Photo courtesy of University of Guam)
Accounting major Camille Joyce Mendoza Ricafort walks into the Calvo Field House arena at the start of the UOG Fanuchånan 2024 Commencement Ceremony on Dec. 15. (Photo courtesy of University of Guam)
Sophie Santos, the valedictorian for the University of Guam’s Class of Fanuchånan 2024, provides words of encouragement for her classmates as they head into a new chapter of their lives. (Photo courtesy of University of Guam)
(From left) University of Guam Board of Regents Chair Lesley-Anne Leon Guerrero, commencement speaker Lisa Carbullido Henderson, UOG Board of Regents Treasurer Mike Naholowaa, and UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez prior to the Fanuchånan 2024 Commencement Ceremony on Dec. 15 in the Calvo Field House. (Photo courtesy of University of Guam)
Business administration major Seira Cruz gets ready to walk across the stage at the University of Guam Fanuchånan 2024 Commencement Ceremony on Dec. 15 in the Calvo Field House. (Photo courtesy of University of Guam)
Venaure Kanai, right, and her fellow Master of Science in Clinical Psychology graduates listen to the commencement address on Dec. 15 in the UOG Calvo Field House. (Photo courtesy of University of Guam)
Health science majors Francesca Dean, left, and Alexandra Lekites, center, and social work major Ally Sablan stand for the presentation of degree candidates from the School of Health. (Photo courtesy of University of Guam)
Lisa Carbullido Henderson delivers the commencement address at the University of Guam Fanuchånan 2024 Commencement Ceremony on Dec. 15 in the Calvo Field House. (Photo courtesy of University of Guam)
The University of Guam’s second cohort of Master of Accountancy graduates: (from left) Reggie Borbon, Shennaleen Braiel, Katelyn Cirilo, Rosa Pugay, Isabella Sablan, and Dona Silang. The program has graduated 30 students since its launch in 2022. ()
Venaure Kanai, right, and her fellow Master of Science in Clinical Psychology graduates listen to the commencement address on Dec. 15 in the UOG Calvo Field House. (Photo courtesy of University of Guam)
Commencement speaker shares journey from Agat to Silicon Valley
Delivering the commencement address was Mount Carmel Catholic School, Notre Dame High School, and San Jose State University alumna Lisa Carbullido Henderson. Henderson grew up in Agat and went on to become a certified public accountant with a more than 35-year career in Silicon Valley as an accomplished tax expert, entrepreneur, and mentor. She remembers attending the Agat library’s summer reading program, where she developed the love of reading, books, and knowledge.
“My mother always used to say, ‘An education is an open mind.’ We learn in so many ways — from the classroom, from our parents and our elders, from friends, from colleagues, from experience, and from falling down and getting up. I often shared with my daughter, if anything, you must get up, dress up, and show up.”
Henderson was the first woman to lead the San Jose office of Frank, Rimerman + Co. LLP, where she advised high-net-worth individuals and businesses on complex financial strategies. She has also led innovative companies focused on workforce solutions and professional development and has mentored many young professionals into leadership roles.
She encouraged the graduates to never lose their desire to learn and to always make education part of their arsenal of superpowers as they embark on their professional and personal journeys.
“You now have an incredible superpower,” she said. “Apply it in whatever is meaningful to you, your families, your community, your island, your world. Create possibilities, and let your light shine!”
Valedictorian: ‘We’ve seen each other grow in ways we never imagined’
The graduates also heard an inspiring message from class valedictorian Sophie Danielle Vlassenko Santos, a first-generation graduate in her family who earned dual bachelor’s degrees in psychology and agriculture and life sciences, with an emphasis in nutrition and food science.
“Looking back on these years, we’ve seen each other grow in ways we might never have imagined,” she said. “From our first days at UOG, uncertain and eager, to this moment, we have faced challenges, celebrated victories, and experienced self-discoveries that connected us with the deepest parts of ourselves.”
She reminded her fellow classmates that wherever they find themselves after graduation, it is exactly where they are destined to be. She shared that she originally wanted to leave Guam to attend college at New York University but ultimately made the decision to stay on island. At UOG, she built lifelong relationships with her professors and with classmates who she will ultimately work alongside as dietitians. She said her community at UOG truly felt like her found family.
The livestream from the ceremony is viewable on the University of Guam’s Facebook page. Additionally, photos from the ceremony will be available in the coming weeks for download at www.flickr.com/photos/uogtritons/albums.
