The University of Guam will confer degrees to more than 230 graduates at its Fanuch\u00e5nan 2020 Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 27. <\/p>\n
The ceremony will be held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be streamed at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 27, on the UOG Facebook page at www.facebook.com\/UniversityofGuam. <\/p>\n
Former valedictorian to deliver keynote <\/strong><\/p>\n The virtual ceremony will include a keynote speech by Dr. Edison P. Manaloto, a two-time UOG alumnus and the 2006 UOG valedictorian who this year returned to Guam as a medical doctor at Guam Regional Medical City. <\/p>\n \u201cEdison embodies the UOG motto of excelsior, or \u2018ever upward,\u2019\u201d said UOG President Thomas W. Krise. \u201cHe has continually reached for the next level and the next means of making an impact on his home island of Guam.\u201d <\/p>\n With a bachelor\u2019s in accounting and master\u2019s in public administration from the University of Guam, Manaloto first pursued a career in public and private sector accounting \u2014 working for Deloitte & Touche, the Hyatt Regency Guam, and Guam\u2019s Office of Finance and Budget and achieving the credentials of Certified Public Accountant and Certified Governmental Financial Manager. Later, seeing the pressing need for medical professionals in Guam, he applied for medical school at De La Salle Health Sciences Institute in the Philippines and became a Doctor of Medicine in 2015 and completed his residency at the University of Hawaii this past June. <\/p>\n Two to earn honorary degrees <\/strong><\/p>\n The ceremony will also have a special recognition of two honorary degree recipients. <\/p>\n \u201cReceiving an honorary degree shows that these individuals have not only become experts in their fields, but have earned the respect of our community and made long-lasting contributions to society,\u201d Krise said. <\/p>\n Rosalia Fejeran Mateo, a master traditional healer \u2014 or Yo\u2019\u00e5mte \u2014 for 64 years and one of the few remaining indigenous experts in her field, will be receiving the honorary degree of Master of Micronesian Traditional Knowledge. Better known as \u201cMama Chai,\u201d she first apprenticed at the age of 19 under Yo\u2019\u00e5mte Regina Terlaje and has since, through herbal medicine and massage, healed thousands of clients suffering from skin problems, respiratory issues, pain, infertility, women\u2019s health issues, and more. <\/p>\n She was instrumental in opening Guam\u2019s first Traditional Healing Center at Sagan Kotturan Chamorro in Tamuning in 2016, where she today sees as many as 19 clients per day. \u201cI love to heal people. I love them,\u201d Mateo said. <\/p>\n She has also helped develop an apprenticeship program and has been teaching and guiding two apprentices to learn traditional healing. \u201cThey tell me it\u2019s hard. [\u2026] You have to be strong, be patient,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Rlene S. Steffy will be receiving an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Steffy is a mass communications specialist of 42 years with a diverse career as a writer, journalist, talk show host, and documentarian. She has come to be considered one of the leading oral-history practitioners in the region, capturing the experiences of war survivors, community leaders, and traditional knowledge experts throughout Micronesia. She recently documented her expertise and technique in the \u201cHow to Conduct Oral History Interviews\u201d guide for the Northern Marianas Humanities Council. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an art to collect a story. You have to learn to listen and you have to not be judgmental, and you have to appreciate the experience and the complexity the individual went through,\u201d Steffy said. \u201c[\u2026] There\u2019s so much we haven\u2019t collected \u2014 cultural, linguistic, and archaeological experiences, adaptation \u2014 how have we [become who we are]? Who are we? That, I think, is important for the future.\u201d <\/p>\n For complete details on the commencement ceremony, visit https:\/\/www.uog.edu\/commencements\/fanuchanan-2020\/. 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