What is Academic Perseverance

The year 2020 has been an especially difficult year for people and organizations all over the world because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher learning institutions and their respective stakeholders are no exception and have been severely impacted by the pandemic resulting in the reshaping of higher education regionally, nationally, and internationally. This chapter examined the University of Guam's (UOG) response to the COVID-19 pandemic and understanding the authentic academic experiences of indigenous CHamoru students during the global epidemic. The current study employed a qualitative approach using a collective case study of 10 CHamoru male and female students who attended UOG for at least one semester during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter concludes with the recommendation that institutions of higher learning analyze and possibly revise or design academic programs that will sustain academic resiliency in its indigenous student communities.