Close to 250 graduates received their diplomas last Dec. 18 at the University of Guam Calvo Field House during the Fanuch\u00e5nan 2022 commencement.<\/p>\n
Dr. Joleen Aguon, a daughter of Guam and\u00a0UOG\u00a0alumna, gave the commencement speech. She hoped to inspire the new graduates about her journey\u2014from powering through late nights to complete her Bachelor of Science degree in biology at\u00a0UOG, completing her\u00a0Doctor of Medicine at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine in Honolulu,\u00a0and ultimately coming home to Guam.<\/p>\n
Aguon is the associate administrator of Clinical Services and assistant associate administrator of Medical Services at Guam Memorial Hospital. She is a familiar face and voice among health care front-liners in the fight against COVID-19.<\/p>\n
The road to becoming a physician was difficult, Aguon said, but she did not give up: \u201cI held on, I cried, I dug deep and with the support of my family and friends, I kept going.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not set limits for yourself or you will never know your full potential. …Impossible will exist if you do not make an effort,\u201d Aguon said to the graduating class.<\/p>\n
Valedictorian\u00a0Cherissa Christina Ollet Adonay\u00a0now holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in elementary education.<\/p>\n
\u201cTeachers are more than just \u2018glorified babysitters,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cWe are the people who set the fundamental foundations for the future generations to come. So, I\u2019d like to ask you all to take a moment and think about all the teachers who made a significant impact on your life. And thank them because without teachers, you wouldn\u2019t be sitting where you are today without us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the graduation ceremony, Adonay said she is grateful for how her parents,\u00a0Cristina\u00a0Ollet\u00a0and Wilfredo Adonay,\u00a0immigrants from the Philippines, raised her with the values of hard work and resiliency, and to focus on her education.<\/p>\n
She urged her fellow graduates to \u201cmake the most out of every day and be present and in the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
The commencement last Dec. 18 capped off the 70th\u00a0year anniversary of\u00a0UOG.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve spent this year appreciating the accomplishments of the students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni and community supporters of our institution over seven decades,\u201d\u00a0President Thomas W. Krise said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd today\u2019s ceremony focuses our attention on why this institution exists: to produce superb graduates who go on to make our island, our region, our country, and our world better places to live,\u201d Krise said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn behalf of all of the employees of\u00a0UOG, I thank our graduates for learning with us, for challenging us to think in new and different ways, and for your commitment to making the world a better place for all of us and for those who come after us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luis\u00a0R.\u00a0Baza, former chairman of\u00a0Civil Service Commission board, and a deputy director at the Port Authority of Guam, received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.<\/p>\n
Watch the recording of the commencement at:<\/p>\n
www.facebook.com\/UniversityofGuam<\/p>\n
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