4 UOG students receive $22,000 in scholarships

From left, standing, Mark Duarte, director of the Financial Aid and One Stop Office at the University of Guam; Ina Lee, president of the Rotary Club of Northern Guam; Rotarian Luckie Sakamoto; acting UOG president Anita Borja Enriquez; Sharleen Santos-Bamba, interim vice provost of Academic Excellence, Graduate Studies, and Online Learning; Rotarian Bernie Provido Schumann; Son Wha “Jenny” Gong; and Gia Camacho attend the awarding of scholarships Sept. 21 at UOG. Seated, from left, scholarship recipients Aisleabesh Maglaque, Brian Barcinas, and Renona Call. Fourth scholarship recipient Kyla M. Tuazon is not in the photo. (UOG)

Rotary clubs in Guam and Tokyo provided $22,000 in scholarships to four University of Guam students in an awards ceremony held laast Sept. 21 at UOG.  

Acting UOG president Anita Borja Enriquez and Mark Duarte, director of the Financial Aid and One Stop Office, led the awarding of the scholarships to:  

• Aisleabesh Maglaque, a senior biology major focusing on the biomedical field. She received a $10,000 scholarship from the Rotary Club of Tokyo-West.  

• Brian Barcinas, a senior studying civil engineering and an airman in the Air National Guard, received a $10,000 scholarship from the Rotary International District 2750.  

• Renona Call, a junior studying elementary education, received a $1,000 award from the Rotary Club of Northern Guam. 

• Kyla M. Tuazon, a junior focusing on plant science and marine biology, was awarded $1,000. Her scholarship came from a $500 donation from businesswoman Son Wha “Jenny” Gong and a matching amount from the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost.   

“These scholarship awards will help students who want to give back to our local community — a future engineer who wants to help improve Guam’s infrastructure, a scholar who wants to be a medical doctor, a future elementary school teacher, and a future plant science and marine biology researcher in the Marianas,” said Enriquez. “Rotarians in both Guam and Japan are investing in our students’ career goals and supporting our future by building the capacity for our island’s workforce.”  

Maglague thanked the Rotary clubs for their support.    

“I aspire to become a physician to directly contribute to enhancing our island’s medical workforce as well as bridging the gaps in our healthcare system,” she said.  

Barcinas said he is pursuing civil engineering to help become a part of the efforts to improve the island’s infrastructure.  

Call said she would love to teach elementary school children on the island.  

Tuazon is interested in plant science and marine life.   

Ina Lee, president of the Rotary Club of Northern Guam; fellow Rotarians Luckie Sakamoto and Bernie Provido Schumann were among guests who joined Enriquez, Duarte, and Sharleen Santos-Bamba, UOG interim vice provost of Academic Excellence, Graduate Studies, and Online Learning at the event. (PR)