On December 16, 2016, the Filipino Community of Guam (FCG) donated $50,000 to the UOG Endowment Foundation as part of the Celebrating the Triton Spirit: Building Our Legacy capital campaign. At the check presentation, Ms. Nita Baldovino, FCG’s President, explained that when she learned over 40% of UOG’s student population is of Filipino descent, she felt it was even more imperative that the organization lend greater support to the University.
“These are the children of taxi drivers, accountants, cooks, builders, and skilled workers who migrated to Guam many years ago, and are now part of the community because of the University of Guam,” Ms. Baldovino said at the recent FCG gala where she first made the donation announcement.
Norman Analista, incoming president for the FCG, and current First Vice President, explained that higher education is very important to Filipinos, so it was only fitting that a donation be made to support UOG. “I’m a proud alumnus of the University of Guam and I’ve experienced for myself how the degrees that I earned have led me towards several exciting career paths. My education gave me options and the freedom to pursue avenues that continue to allow me to support my family and to fulfill personal goals,” he said.
A portion of the funds will be used for upgrades to classrooms at UOG’s School of Education. Dr. John Sanchez, Dean of the School of Education, explained that one of the rooms will be equipped with Smart Board technology to allow education students to be prepared in today’s classrooms. A major portion of the gift will go into the endowment fund which will allow for greater financial benefit to the University of Guam in perpetuity.
To recognize this gift, Rm. 207 at the School of Education will be named in honor of the Filipino Community of Guam.