Galvin Deleon Guerrero
The following is the College Address that was delivered at Northern Marianas College’s 44th Commencement Exercises on May 23, 2025.
SO, it’s pretty obvious: I am a huge Star Wars fan. One of the reasons is that George Lucas and his team borrow heavily from history, mythology, and philosophy to teach us deep truths about life. One such truth is very apparent in our world today.
At the global level, climate change, trade wars, and real wars are threatening millions of vulnerable populations. At the national level, an all-out assault on education, minorities, and truth itself are harming the poorest and most marginalized groups in the country. And at the local level, a growing economic crisis is leading more and more of our people to relocate off-island.
In Star Wars, these forces come from what we call the Dark Side, represented by the Empire. But there is also a group of people who fight this Empire. They are the Rebel Alliance and they represent Forces of Light fighting for what is right. In fact, some of these Rebels can be found in our very own galaxy, right here in the CNMI.
One such Rebel is our keynote speaker, Delegate Kim. As long as I have known her, she has always fought for what is true and what is right. In fact, just last week, she shared the following message on social media: “Our voice carries weight. When we speak up, we give Washington the chance to understand us and the opportunity to do better by us.” Indeed, against cuts to our federal grants, the dismantling of our education system, and threats to programs that help the neediest among us, I trust that Kim, you will not only speak up, but that you will also speak truth to power. Because that’s what you’ve always done.
Rebel Forces are also fighting the good fight at NMC. Cooperative Research Education and Extension Services, or CREES, continues to promote regenerative, sustainable stewardship of our islands; the Small Business Development Center and the Community Development Institute are helping stimulate economic recovery; and our degree programs are meeting critical workforce needs. And how we can forget the brand new facilities that are coming up, including what everyone notices when they drive by our As Terlaje campus: the student center, which will be called the Proa Union. In all of this, the College is serving as a beacon of hope amidst all the darkness.
But the brightest beacons of hope, the leaders of our Rebel Alliance, sit right before us in these graduates who have rebelled against some of the darkest challenges to emerge as luminaries of hope and resilience.
One such luminary is Clarissa King. Despite surviving an abusive marriage, overcoming years of trauma, and losing her father just last year, Clarissa was able to raise her daughter all by herself, work part time, and take full-time classes, until finally graduating today with her Bachelors in Education.
Another luminary is Olivia Aldan, a non-traditional student who lost her husband not too long ago but found the courage and determination to return to college after nearly 30 years, persist through some tough math classes, and graduate today with her Associates degree in Liberal Arts.
Or consider Kate Garcia, a single mom whose brothers, Kyle and Karl, stepped in as co-parents and encouraged her to go back to school. Kyle graduated a couple of years ago, but today, Karl graduates with Kate, who earns her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management.
Two other luminaries are brother and sister Deejay and Jzl Santomin, whose father passed away earlier this year, during their final semester. With support from their Project PROA family, they caught up and graduate today with their respective degrees.
And yet another luminary is Shiela Quimson, who started at NMC back in 2013. You see, Shiela lives with epilepsy, which causes seizures and leaves the left side of her body weaker than the right side. But she did not let that disability disable her. It may have taken longer, but now, after persisting for 12 years, Shiela graduates with her Associates degree in Liberal Arts.
These are just a few of the hundreds of luminaries that make up the NMC graduating Class of 2025. You are all Forces of Light rebelling against the Empire of Dark Forces that surround us.
Sadly, though, some of our luminaries have passed on through the shadow of death: Anthony Deleon Guerrero, Kevin Maratita, and Johnny Aldan. Coming from a long line of Proas who have made their indelible mark at NMC, Anthony was a graduate and an employee of the College who made his family proud. An avid golfer who made it to almost every NMC Golf Tournament, Kevin decided to go back to school with both his wife and his daughter and today we are honored to confer upon him a well deserved posthumous degree. And, of course, Mr. Johnny Aldan, whose humor brought laughter everywhere he went, whose smile lit up every room he entered, and whose wisdom enlightened everyone he encountered. While these Proas may have passed on, their lights have not dimmed. They shine on in our memories and in our hearts.
I call these Proas Luminaries, partly because the sail of the NMC Proa is elongated to represent the flame of knowledge, but also because they are bright lights shining against a sea of darkness. And there are two specific luminaries I would like to recognize today who lit the way through some of NMC’s darkest days.
One has served the College Board of Regents for almost a decade. With extensive experience in finance and infrastructure, she helped lead the college through typhoons, a pandemic, and economic turbulence. In both her roles as a Regent and the corporate director for the Northern Marianas Housing Corporation, she has been instrumental in helping build a brand new campus. For her efforts, ladies and gentlemen, it is a true honor to present the NMC President’s Napu Award to Regent Jeannie Mafnas.
But, wait, there’s more. Another luminary is a business and community leader who has served the College through thick and thin. Under his leadership, the College secured almost $100 million in grants to build a new campus, stabilized its top leadership, and achieved a historic 8-year accreditation term. Along the way, he has raised our profile at the national level with the Association of Community College Trustees. For these and many other accomplishments, please join me in celebrating Chairman Charles Cepeda as we also present him with the NMC President’s Napu Award.
But, wait, there’s even more. In addition to all the graduates I celebrated earlier, there is one graduate I forgot to mention. Despite how busy this graduate is, this Proa found a way to work quietly in the background to earn a college degree. Now, with the help of Jennifer Fejeran-Hanson and Dr. Barbara Hunter, it is my genuine privilege to confer an Associates of Applied Science in Business Administration with a Business Management Emphasis to none other than Mr. Charles Villagomez Cepeda.
Chairman Cepeda is a Force of Light that joins this Rebel Alliance of graduates who continue to fight against an Empire of Darkness.
After all, that is what lies at the heart of Star Wars: a struggle between the Dark Side and the Light Side. And that may be the most important struggle of our time.
But, as I shared recently with the School of Education, quoting the poet Dylan Thomas:
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Or, as one of my favorite songs goes:
This little light of mine I’m gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let shine.
Now, normally, I end with this call to action: “Sail on.” But, today, I'm gonna make a slight change: Stay safe, stay calm, and…shine on.
Oh, and one last thing: May the Force be with you.
