MSW graduate Albert Toves' CHamoru values fuel his passion to help others
by Ahliil Saitanan |
As an Indigenous CHamoru, Albert Toves' pursuit to attain a degree in social work is rooted in his passion and responsibility to help his community in Gu氓han (Guam) and other indigenous communities. For context, Gu氓han is the largest and southernmost island in the Marianas Archipelago in the region of Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean.
Parallel colonial experiences
When Albert applied to the UAA Master of Social Work program, he shared about the impacts of militarization, colonization, and intergenerational trauma on the CHamoru people, due to Gu氓han鈥檚 political status as a colony/territory of the United States. As he learned more about 熊猫在线视频 Native history, he recognized the parallels between the colonial experiences of the CHamoru and the 熊猫在线视频 Native peoples.
"First, as a settler in Anchorage, it is essential to acknowledge and offer a si yu鈥檕s ma鈥檃se (thank you) to the Dena鈥檌na people. I acknowledge that the spaces UAA occupies and where I have been living these past few years are located on the ancestral and unceded traditional territory of the Dena鈥檌na people," Albert says.
During the two-year program, Albert continued to advocate for Gu氓han while learning more about the 熊猫在线视频 Native people鈥檚 thriving culture and history. Additionally, he developed skills to collaborate and support BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) communities.
CHamoru values
Since graduating in Spring 2021, Albert is grateful for the insight, mentors, and experiences he gained from the UAA MSW program. The experiences and lessons he learned has emphasized his CHamoru values of aguaiya (to love), agofli鈥檈鈥� (to see others without judgment), a鈥檜mitde (to be humble), afa鈥檓aolek (to make things good), arespeta (to have respect), amam氓hlao (to know/have moral and ethical boundaries), ageftao (to be giving), and a鈥檃gradesi (to have appreciation for one another)鈥攁ll of which fuel his passion to help others.
"After graduation, I hope to use my degree to collaborate and support BIPOC communities. Additionally, I look forward to building field experience and attaining licensure in the field of social work," Albert says. "The UAA MSW program showed genuine interest in my passion to help the community on Gu氓han and other indigenous communities. After exiting the program, I can say that they were truly supportive of that passion and have helped me develop the skills needed to collaborate and support BIPOC communities."
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