The University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant (UOG CIS & Sea Grant), in partnership with the NSF INCLUDES SEAS Islands Alliance, formally introduced new Navigating Home long-term fellows Preya Camacho and Miguel Cordero during a signing ceremony in December —marking another step in the program’s mission to bring the island’s skilled workforce home.

At the event held at the Governor’s Complex in Adelup, UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez, DBA, welcomed the fellows and their mentors and highlighted the importance of partnerships with industry and government agencies that serve as employment destinations for returning professionals under the Navigating Home program.

Noting that for every three students who leave Guam to pursue a college degree only one returns, she also emphasized the university’s role in building Guam’s workforce and the broader responsibility tied to public investment in education and workforce development.

“We want to be able to contribute to be able to build that intellectual infrastructure, but we also want to ensure that we have these innovative pathways for those who have left the island, to return home and to serve in very meaningful positions that are filling gaps, in terms of expertise,” she said.

UOG CIS & Sea Grant Director Austin Shelton, Ph.D., highlighted the long-term value of investing in homegrown experts.

“It really is not just an investment from the grants or from the university but also an investment from our experts that came back home,” Shelton said, noting that fellows bring lived experience that strengthens scientific decision-making, community stewardship, and economic impact.

At the ceremony, both fellows shared their experiences returning home through the program.

Camacho, who earned her degree in earth and environmental science from Arizona State University, returned to Guam and is now placed with the Guam Department of Agriculture’s Biosecurity Division. Her work focuses on invasive species management, including monitoring and data collection related to threats such as the coconut rhinoceros beetle, little fire ants, and fruit flies.

“I applied for this scholarship because this is the perfect opportunity for me to come home,” Camacho said. “That was my main goal, to come back and use my knowledge for the island.”

Born and raised in Dededo, Cordero returned to Guam after studying biology and biotechnology and is now placed with the Guam Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Monitoring and Analytical Services (EMAS) Division. His work includes beach water quality monitoring, molecular testing, and contributing to Guam EPA’s Beach Report.

“So right now, I'm mainly a biologist, mostly a microbiology and microbiology staff-in-training,” Cordero said. “A lot of my work is environmental science focused… everything has been a whirlwind and something new to me, but it's been a worthwhile experience,” he added.

Meanwhile, Cheryl Sangueza, Ph.D., co-principal investigator of the program, emphasized that representing Guam on national stages is a core part of the Navigating Home experience. Fellows are supported to attend conferences such as the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) National Diversity in STEM (NDiSTEM) Conference, where they present their work, build professional networks, and represent Guam and the University with confidence—often for the first time before large national audiences.

Cordero also highlighted the professional development opportunities made possible through Navigating Home. “One of the big things that's very unique about navigating home… was the opportunities for coalition building with peers, other scientists, other mentors,” he said.

Addressing the two long-term fellows, Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio, a co-principal investigator of the program, thanked them for choosing public service.

“The reason why I'm a principal co-investigator, I'm trying to figure out how we abbreviate that pathway for the government of Guam to identify the talent and get them activated so that they can do the work of the people. And so, you made a decision, at least for this stage of your life, to be in public service. And you know, I just want to say how grateful we are that you both decided to do this.”

The program is also supported by Guam Green Growth and Guam NSF EPSCoR’s GECCO, E-Core, and E-Rise programs.

Long-term fellow benefits include an annual salary, placement with a government or UOG department that aligns with the fellow’s area of specialty, and a one-way plane ticket back to Guam