NAVFAC Marianas LDP Cadre Member Aims to Spark UOG Students’ Interest

ASAN, Guam – Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Marianas and Officer in Charge of Construction Marine Corps Marianas personnel met with students from the University of Guam’s (UOG) School of Engineering to share their mission and inspire students to seek future employment with the federal government.

Katherine Sakai Fenequito, NAVFAC Marianas construction management engineer, coordinated the virtual event as part of her project for the NAVFAC leadership development program (LDP).

The program is one of NAVFAC’s premier leadership development opportunities intended to broaden cadre members’ corporate perspective of the organization while participating in a 360-degree assessment to gain awareness of their developmental needs and focus areas.

“My presentation aimed to introduce the students to NAVFAC and let them know how engineers support our operations,” she said. “Military projects can be really unique and you won’t get the opportunity to participate in projects like them outside the Department of Defense.”

As a cadre member, Fenequito said she intended to contribute new ideas that positively impact the organization while expanding her knowledge of NAVFAC’s different echelons in order to take on new roles in the future.

“The LDP provides the opportunity for understanding NAVFAC and our mission on a much broader scale than I would typically focus on during my day-to-day responsibilities as a construction manager,” she said. “Through the LDP I wanted to focus on how the business lines and support lines function to support the overarching organization and best determine how my actions can support it.”

Established in September 2016, UOG’s School of Engineering seeks to develop highly competent professionals for entry-level positions in civil engineering, further study in graduate school, and life-long learning and societal leadership.

“The presentation reflected the classwork that students are undertaking at the University of Guam, and matched well with students who want to work in the private as sector as well as the military,” said Sean Lee, president, UOG Student Chapter of Society of American Military Engineers – Guam Post. “The design and construction aspect of the presentation is exactly what the students should be obtaining. They need experience in reviewing technical reports, writing reports, plan and estimate cost analysis of a project, and the inspection of projects specifications.”

According to Fenequito, the university’s engineering program is a great opportunity for the island and NAVFAC to engage with and hopefully employ future engineers who have a personal connection to the island.

“It is difficult to hire engineers on Guam and we often have to rely on off-island hires,” she said. “By establishing a positive relationship between UOG and NAVFAC, we can open the doors to hiring locally-grown talent and aide them in establishing careers with NAVFAC Marianas.”