Two young leaders from Guam, Stephanie Lorenzo and Christian Ramos, were selected to represent the island at the 2025 Western Governors’ Leadership Institute, scheduled for June 22–25 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, according to a press release last month from the institute.
The program, hosted by the Western Governors’ Foundation, aims to cultivate bipartisan leadership among young adults across the West, offering delegates a chance to engage with governors, former governors and prominent regional figures.
For Lorenzo and Ramos, the opportunity marks a pivotal moment to amplify Guam’s voice on issues such as juvenile justice, reproductive health care, food insecurity and housing affordability - challenges often overshadowed by those of larger states.
In interviews with The Guam Daily Post, Lorenzo and Ramos shared their reactions to being selected and their goals for the forum, reflecting on how their personal journeys and Guam’s unique challenges shape their leadership aspirations.
Lorenzo, an Indigenous social worker and co-founder of Famalao’an Rights, was stunned to learn of her selection through a LinkedIn tag rather than formal notification. “I was actually very shocked to hear that I was selected for this,” she said. Encouraged by Rikki Orsini, director of policy at the governor’s office, Lorenzo applied despite doubts about her competitiveness. “I was very scared about my application,” she admitted. “I wasn’t very confident if my application would be competitive enough.”
Her work focuses on culturally competent care for incarcerated youth and expanding reproductive health care access - two passions she sees as intertwined. “As an Indigenous social worker, I have to incorporate cultural competency in both of those areas,” Lorenzo said. At the Department of Youth Affairs, she navigates the needs of migrant youth from other islands, balancing their cultural traditions with policy demands. Through Famalao’an Rights, she addresses the taboo surrounding reproductive health in CHamoru culture, advocating for education and access to resources like menstrual hygiene products and birth control.
Ramos, a first-generation college graduate now working in Washington, D.C., learned of his selection through a call from Anna Caplan, the foundation’s manager. A 2023 Truman Scholar, Ramos credits a friend from the Truman Scholars cohort for encouraging him to apply. “She kind of empowered me and motivated me to apply this year,” he said. Growing up in a household of 12 reliant on government assistance, Ramos witnessed disparities that fueled his advocacy for marginalized communities. “Coming from an economically disadvantaged background and household, I just saw a lot of disparities that were tied around that,” he said.
His path from Guam to D.C. began with a Truman Scholarship internship, leading to his current role at the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholars. Ramos hopes to use the institute to highlight Guam’s unique challenges, such as its inability to vote in U.S. presidential elections. “If I could use this opportunity and my platform as a delegate for Guam to showcase that our perspectives and our voice is as important as theirs, I think this could hopefully create a better relationship with Guam and the other Western states,” he said.
The Western Governors’ Foundation - the philanthropic arm of the Western Governors’ Association - selects delegates based on community involvement and commitment to public service. Caplan told the Post about the rigorous selection process: “Each of our potential delegates will send in a pretty lengthy application that asks them a couple of questions about themselves and about what they think that leadership is and how they personally plan on kind of leading change within their own communities,” she said.
“Their applications then come to the Western Governors’ Foundation and we go ahead and send them to our board of directors. Our board of directors is comprised of both current and former Western governors as well as the president of Western Governors University, and then they select the cohort for that year,” said Caplan. “What they look for specifically are leaders who are very involved in their community, who have a history of public service and who want to continue to grow as leaders and also to give back to their community - and that's what we really saw with both Christian and Stephanie.”
Lorenzo’s standout achievements include her role as Guam’s first appointee to the Coalition of Juvenile Justice Emerging Leaders Committee, where she amplifies Pacific perspectives. Ramos impressed the board with his founding of Triton Changemakers at the University of Guam, a student group focused on supporting low-income and marginalized communities.
“Christian is a first-generation college graduate, earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Guam, so definitely has some kind of deep roots in Guam,” Caplan said. “Stephanie has a background in policy analysis and nonprofit leadership. She is absolutely a community advocate.”
The institute’s mission is to foster bipartisan leadership, a goal Caplan emphasized amid growing partisan divides. “We want to instill that sense of hope,” she said. “We need to show the next generation of young leaders that bipartisanship does happen.” Delegates will observe governors collaborate on policy at the Western Governors’ Association annual meeting and take part in a one-day leadership forum, with all expenses covered by the foundation to ensure equitable access for territories such as Guam.
Lorenzo hopes to gain skills in community mobilization and stakeholder engagement. “I am hopeful that I’ll be able to gain the skill sets to mobilize my communities,” she said, noting that Guam’s geographic isolation limits awareness of available resources. She cited an example of culturally competent care: adjusting her approach for Federated States of Micronesia migrant families with patriarchal structures, which contrast with CHamoru matriarchal traditions. “It’s pivoting that care from matriarchal to patriarchal,” she explained.
Ramos envisions a bold question for Western leaders: “How can the governors in the western region help support that effort in creating a more inclusive system that gives all U.S. territories a stronger voice when shaping national policies that impact us?” He plans to bring Guam’s communal spirit to Santa Fe, symbolized by his floral shirts. “Every time we experience like a natural disaster, like Typhoon Mawar, our community was always strong with coming together to help one another,” he said.
Both delegates align with issues prioritized by the Western Governors’ Association’s current chair, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, whose housing initiative could shape their work. “It is convenient because our current chair … is doing a housing initiative right now on specifically affordable housing,” Caplan said. “We will definitely want to bring Christian and Stephanie … into those conversations.”
Former Gov. David Ige, chair of the foundation, predicted that institute alumni will lead the West in the future. “I truly believe that in 25 years from now, we will be talking about the hundreds of Western Governors’ Leadership Institute alumni who will be leading the region,” he stated in the release. Lorenzo envisions herself in public service, possibly running for office, while Ramos dreams of free college tuition for Guam students. “I know we’re very far from it, but I know it’s not impossible in the long run,” he said.
Caplan noted the foundation’s growth, with applications from Guam rising from three to five this year, though territories typically submit fewer than states. Outreach through universities, governors’ offices and alumni aims to boost awareness. A new Western Leadership Network will connect delegates with job opportunities and mentorships, extending their impact beyond the forum.
For Guam’s youth, Lorenzo and Ramos offered encouragement. “Take a chance on yourself. You never know what the answer can be if you don’t try,” Lorenzo urged.
Ramos echoed, “I think this opportunity can open doors for so many other young leaders who could represent us well.”