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Surangel S. Whipps Jr., President of Palau, will address the graduating class of 2025 at the La Sierra University commencement. (Courtesy of the Republic of Palau)
The president of the Republic of Palau will deliver the commencement address to nearly 380 La Sierra University graduates Sunday morning, marking a personal milestone as he watches his own daughter cross the stage.
Surangel S. Whipps Jr., who leads the Pacific island nation, will speak on “Navigating the Future, Knowing God Is in Control” during the 8 a.m. ceremony on Founders’ Green. The University will also award him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in recognition of his leadership and public service.
The graduation holds special significance for Whipps, whose daughter, Moded Samantha Surangel, will graduate magna cum laude with degrees in political economy and accounting from the Zapara School of Business. She recently received the school’s 2025 Outstanding Senior Award for Accounting, Economics and Finance.
Whipps, a Seventh-day Adventist, serves as the 10th president of Palau, a nation of about 340 islands in Micronesia. He won re-election in November for a second term leading the constitutional government after first taking office in January 2021.
Before entering politics, Whipps transformed his family’s small retail store into Surangel & Sons Company, a diversified enterprise employing more than 600 people. He previously served two terms in the Palau National Congress before running for president in 2016.
His administration operates under the platform “Palauan People First,” prioritizing public health and economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. Key initiatives include restoring tourism, environmental protection, and raising international awareness about climate change threats facing island nations.
Current projects include expanding tourism markets, constructing educational facilities, developing a new national hospital, building a modern corrections facility and fishing port, and enhancing solar energy storage capacity.
Whipps earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Andrews University in Michigan and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management. Until 1994, Palau operated under U.S. administration as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
The ceremony caps a weekend of events that began Friday with a consecration service and continued Saturday with baccalaureate services. University President Dr. Christon Arthur will oversee his first commencement since taking leadership last July.
The one-year program offers full tuition, a $32,000 stipend, mentorship, and a guaranteed job—training diverse educators to meet urgent staffing needs in local schools.
