Simone E.P. Bollinger Assistant Professor English Department Guam Community College
Simone Efigenia Perez Bollinger is a writer, educator, home gardener and mother. She holds a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (2010) and a bachelor's degree in English from Dickinson College (2005). She has been teaching at the Guam Community College for ten years and is currently the English Department chairperson. She is also the GCC Faculty Senate president and has served on various committees during her time at the College. A dedicated CHamoru educator, Simone has worked for many years to develop and revise curriculum and has created the first CHamoru-focused path at GCC: the CHamoru Culture and Education Track of the Liberal Studies Program. The aim of the track is to offer students who wish to become Chamoru language teachers a clear path toward certification. She plans to develop the track into its own program eventually and offer more classes in CHamoru at the college level. Simone is also a founding member and vice president of Ta Tuge’ Mo’na, a nonprofit that supports literary communities on Guam. As part of the group, she has co-edited two anthologies of Pacific literature and worked with authors to streamline their manuscripts. The group has also held writing workshops, which seek to develop the capacity of writers on Guam. Simone has written two children’s books in CHamoru: Ma Guaiya Yu’ Si Nana yan Si Tata (2016, co-written with her sister-in-law Dana Bollinger) and Un Ha’åne yan Si Ena (2019). She reads the books at local schools often, especially during CHamoru month. She plans to publish more books in the future that are aimed at young adults. She was a Literary Arts Publications delegate in 2016 during the Festival of Pacific Arts hosted on Guam. She has also published many short works of non-fiction and poetry that highlight life on Guam. She plays soccer with the Sidekicks Women’s Team and enjoys snorkeling, hiking, and planting.
23 | 50 Under 40: Emerging Leaders in the Government of Guam
