My Personal Story

As a 25-year-old single mother of two young boys on Guam, the last six years of my life have been filled with transformation, discovery, love, triumph, tragedy, and uncertainty. Navigating through life with no map, I have been chartering my own path and consciously co-creating with the universe. Throwing out old limiting and negative patterns of belief has been necessary in forging forward in my dreams and passions. Letting go of what society says about whom I should be and how I should behave has been key in my personal growth and rediscovery of my self.

After a downward spiral into depression, relationship issues, and parenting struggles, I finally committed myself to creating my own happiness. Empowerment came when I learned to accept ALL of who I am, especially the parts I am ashamed of and try to hide from the world. During the rediscovery of my self in the past two years, the universe has reminded me of the infinite interconnectedness that I share with every life form. Much judgment that I held for others has left my heart, and is instead replaced by a feeling of connection, love, and respect. The globalization that our world has been experiencing in recent decades is unavoidable in a multitude of areas. We are all in the same boat, regardless of our status or appearance. Human rights issues have been put in the forefront, as we are no longer geographically isolated. Personal issues are now global issues.

I was born and raised here on Guam. As a child, a minority by appearances, life was difficult, filled with bullying and a search for identity. It wasn’t until just recently, as I delved deeper into Guam history and culture studies, that I realized that Guam is experiencing its own identity crisis, and has been for hundreds of years throughout its colonization by more than one nation (first Spain, and then America, and also a brutal 2-year occupation by Japan during WWII). Today, Guam still struggles to preserve its culture as it faces the largest military buildup in U.S. history. The people have many concerns, among them are: dramatic population increase caused by the relocation of 8,000 marines from Okinawa, along with their dependents and temporary workers during the buildup process; stresses on the sewage systems; traffic (already a problem); fresh water supply; funding for infrastructure repairs and maintenance; limited health care facilities that are already at full capacity; and probably the most emotionally loaded concern is that the residents of Guam feel they have no say in what happens with this buildup.

This critical time in our history has spurred my passions, especially in the areas of social justice. When a friend sent me the link to the World Pulse site and the Voices of Our Future program, I knew this would be one way to get Guam’s voice heard. I am one woman with an open heart, willing to collaborate with others to establish creative solutions to our global issues.