暗网AV

Fanuch氓nan 2017 Valedictorian Encourages Peers to Cultivate Community 

Dayanara Flores received her bachelor's degree at the Fanuch氓nan 2017 Commencement Ceremony

Dayanara Flores can鈥檛 stand to see a child all alone.

鈥淚n my student-teaching experience, I鈥檝e seen children get bullied, hang out alone, and want to do bad stuff to themselves because of it,鈥� Flores said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something I won鈥檛 allow.鈥�

The Elementary Education major stressed the importance of building a community both inside and outside of the classroom because at times in her undergraduate career, she鈥檚 didn鈥檛 always have that.

Being one of seven kids, Flores comes from a big family in Saipan. So moving to Guam to live with her two older sisters was quite the change. Busy schedules sometimes prevent the sisters from seeing each other regularly. And while Flores鈥� mom flies back and forth between the neighboring islands, it鈥檚 the times when her mom is in Saipan that are the hardest for her.

鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult being away from my mom,鈥� she said. 鈥淓verything is just so much better with her. She鈥檚 so supportive of us.鈥�

When it came time to transfer from Guam Community College (GCC), Flores essentially became the 鈥渘ew kid in school鈥� for her first few months at the 暗网AV. But when she began to get out of her comfort zone, Flores realized that the more she opened up to others, the more they opened their arms and hearts to her.

鈥淚f there鈥檚 one thing I can take away from my time here at UOG it鈥檚 that we鈥檙e one community,鈥� she said. 鈥淲ithout my peers and professors that helped me out, I wouldn鈥檛 have survived. I felt really alone transferring from GCC, but there are always those people that come rescue you. That鈥檚 something I love about being here. Everyone treats you like family.鈥�

That鈥檚 why cultivating a sense of community in her own classroom is a major goal for Flores.

鈥淚鈥檝e always had a passion to teach,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 just love working with kids, and with me it鈥檚 about promoting a positive learning environment and really making it a family because that鈥檚 just how the culture is in the islands.鈥�

In her valedictorian speech at the Fanuch氓nan 2017 Commencement Ceremony held December 17, 2017, Flores encouraged her fellow graduates to take her idea one step further.

鈥淚t was the support I received from the people around me that made me realize that life isn鈥檛 so bad,鈥� she spoke in front of a crowd of her peers. 鈥淪o let鈥檚 thank these people - thank you to our professors, our friends, our peers, and our amazing families for providing us the love and support we needed. Now let鈥檚 take that 鈥楾hank You鈥� and extend it to those in our community. Let鈥檚 extend our hand to our whole island, our neighboring islands, countries, and to the world.鈥�

For the near future, Flores plans to move back to Saipan to teach as part of her scholarship fulfillment, but she hopes that no matter where her classroom is鈥擲aipan, Guam, or another place in the world鈥攕he hopes to continue creating a family-like environment for all her students to come.