VOYAGER STATE OF MIND
Voyager State of Mind supports schools throughout the Pacific region where field-testing informs innovations and supports product improvement.
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Maria Ulloa Elementary, Guam
Teachers for grades 3rd to 5th at Maria Ulloa Elementary School piloted early versions of Voyager State of Mind - A Pacific Approach to Social-Emotional Wellbeing SES Workbook. Their valuable feedback and suggestions helped make this unique workbook a user-friendly and effective tool that students look forward to engaging in. By merging counseling theory using authentic stories, students in Guam learn essential soft skills grounded in history, culture, and tradition.
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Akoyikoyi Elementary, Chuuk
Akoyikoyi School is a tuition-free charter school with an emphasis on delivering a modern education while passing down traditional knowledge. Traditional seafaring knowledge in Chuuk State is strong, and ties to the ocean are deep. Voyager State of Mind - A Pacific Approach to Social-Emotional Wellbeing was field-tested by teachers and students who now use the book yearly.
Rob Limtiaco is the compass and heartbeat of our team. His approach to life is thoughtful and deliberate, prioritizing the values that underpin traditional knowledge. Consensus-building and collective growth are our ongoing goals due to Rob's patience and commitment to the values and well-being of the seafaring community.
Rob provides traditional and cultural guidance to build authentic and accurate tools that celebrate and honor seafaring while instilling essential life skills. As a master canoe carver and traditional seafarer, Limtiaco is working to build social skills and foster coping mechanisms in youth while raising awareness and capacity for sustainable seafaring practice.
He performed his apprenticeship in Pulowot Atoll in Chuuk State, under the mentorship of Master Navigators Rapwi Yalwairh and Tawa Tilimwar. He focused on traditional canoe carving and assembly alongside fellow CHamoru Gary Perez Guerrero. Guerrero and Limtiaco returned to Guam to share their skills and knowledge with their community. They have served as pillars of the CHamoru seafaring community and have advised efforts to instill traditional values in contemporary education.
Jess Duenas Merrill's is a Guåhan designer specializing in print, identity, and digital communication. She is currently focused on cultural place-based projects to enhance local resources. Her attention to detail and technical ability ensures Voyager State of Mind products are high-quality and visually appealing. From beginning to end, she keeps our projects moving in the right direction without compromising quality.
Jess also enjoys helping the small business community grow their passions in a variety of industries. Through creative side projects, fine art experiments, and reading, Jess finds inspiration and growth to bring life into her professional collaborations.
Dr. Shinhwa Lee understands the importance of research-driven practice. Her work with our team helps bolster our collective understanding of how our minds grow and heal.
She is a Texas Licensed Professional Counselor with clinical experience with children and parents under Child Protective Services. She has worked with victims of domestic violence and at-risk students to build social skills, healthy habits, and self-care skills.
Lee holds a doctorate in counselor education from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Her scholarly interests include multiculturalism, wellness, and early childhood mental health. Dr. Lee breaks down counseling theory and techniques, making these concepts and skill sets practical and accessible to teachers, students, and parents.
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Dr. Matthew Limtiaco is inspired by the lessons and values of traditional sailing. With guidance from his Uncle Rob and through his work with the voyaging community, he strives to embody those values in his family, his work, and in serving his community.
Founder of Voyager State of Mind, Matt has taught for over 20 years at International Baccalaureate schools in Hawai'i, Cairo, Egypt, and as an Assistant Professor at the University of Guam. He served as an education program manager for NOAA, and has worked alongside educational teams with US Fish and Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy, Friends of Ka'ena, and Polynesian Voyaging Society. In that time, he has found that values should be central to education and work.
Matt holds a Doctorate of Education from the University of Southern California.
Eurich Patacsil is a creative force. Skilled in abstract, realistic, stylistic, and traditional art, he is a huge asset to our team. Eurich internalizes our broad concepts, bringing ideas to life in ways that always surpass expectations.
A practicing fine artist and graphic designer born and raised on the island of Guam. He received his degree in graphic design from Loyola Marymount University in 2018. The ocean and culture are his muses; the people in his life, his motivation. He draws, paints, sculpts, and designs, and is always looking for new mediums and opportunities through which he can create, communicate, and tell stories.
Leah Ann Tamondong Balansay is committed to the well-being of our kids and community. She holds a Master of Arts in Counseling and has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. She is a certified Professional School Counselor K-12 by the Guahan Commission for Educator Certification and employed with the Guam Department of Education at Maria A. Ulloa Elementary School for over a decade.
As a member of the Early Childhood Education Taskforce (ECE Taskforce) in September 2020 Balansay contributed to the development of a board policy addressing social-emotional learning in early childhood education. Balansay leads the Voyager State of Mind - Pacific Approach to Social-Emotional Wellbeing Pilot Team efforts and is a champion for the creation of place-based, culturally grounded approaches to the counseling practice.
