On Sunday, 250 students will graduate from the University of Guam at its Fanuchånan 2021 Commencement Ceremony.

Of the graduates, 12 swill be earning the first civil engineering degrees to be conferred by the university following the 2019 launch of its Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering program.

The keynote speaker will be Diosdado P. “Dado” Banatao, an engineer, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist who has come to be known as a visionary within Silicon Valley, the global center for high-tech innovations.

Banatao has ties to Guam through his father, Salvador, who worked overseas in Guam from the Philippines when Banatao was a child. He co-founded three technology startups — Mostron, Chips & Technologies, and S3 Inc. — which provided him a unique perspective in technology investments to later launch his own venture capital firm, Tallwood Venture Capital, which became a multimillion-dollar company. He invested in complex semiconductor technology solutions, including the first GPS chipset and the first noise-cancelling chip for mobile phones, among many others.

The ceremony, held at the Calvo Field House, will be held in three segments by school to allow for social distancing and will be invitation-only events.

10 a.m.: College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, and School of Engineering
1 p.m.: School of Education, School of Health
4 p.m.: School of Business and Public Administration

Tickets to attend the commencement ceremonies must be acquired through the graduates. Graduates are limited to two guests each. Pandemic safety protocols will be in place for the ceremonies, including required masks, temperature checks, and socially distanced seating. The ceremony will also be streamed live on the UOG Facebook page at www.facebook.com/UniversityofGuam.