Membro, Kumisión i Fino’ CHamoru

Guam Department of Education Appointee

Siñora Rufina Fejeran Mendiola serves as the current administrator for the CHamoru Studies and Special Projects Division at the Guam Department of Education. Siñora Mendiola is a veteran educator with over 30 years of experience. Born in Saipan and raised in Guam, she has been a lifelong advocate of indigenous knowledge. Siñora Mendiola also has a passion for protecting and celebrating the CHamoru community in Guam. Having hosted countless training workshops and conferences on CHamoru curricula and developed four documentaries, she is widely recognized across the Pacific Islands Region for her civic contributions on incorporating indigenous knowledge into contemporary education systems. In 2016, Siñora Mendiola published the book, I Malingu na Påtgon with UOG Press. The story is written fully in CHamoru and weaves together CHamoru values as it follows a young girl, Bella, named after her granddaughter.