From a small village in Guam to the halls of BYU–Hawaii, Rosalind “Rose” Ram’s journey is one of persistence, faith, and service. A 1989 graduate of BYU–Hawaii, Ram’s story began in a place where hard work was a way of life and helping others was a daily expectation, yet it led her to opportunities and experiences she never imagined.
Lessons from Home
Ram grew up in Malojloj, a tight-knit village surrounded by the red savannas of southern Guam. “Most of the people in our village were related to us,” she said. Her father, the island’s first Chamorro gantry crane operator, retired early and became a well-known watermelon farmer. “My early years were simple. We had dirt floors, cold running water, and an outhouse,” Ram recalled. “My parents were hard workers, and we were rich in values. One overarching Chamorro value/principle my mom said every day is, “Inafa’maolek yan fan aayuda,” which means ‘take care of each other and help each other.’ “It wasn’t just something she told us—it was something we lived.”
In high school, Ram stood out. She graduated in the top 10 of her class and learned to program in five computer languages. At the time, college wasn’t something her parents knew much about. “If you had asked me in high school what college was, I wouldn’t have known,” she admitted. “My parents just told us to make a plan for after high school and bring it to them.”
That plan took shape with the help of a teacher who belonged to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He connected Ram and two classmates with his family in Mesa, Arizona, who agreed to guide and help them while they attended college.
In 1981, after working a full year to save money, Ram left Guam for Arizona. “I told myself I wanted to be open to other ways of learning, especially when it came to things of God,” she said. She began meeting with missionaries and was baptized in January 1982. “That decision changed my life completely. My two Chamorro friends and I were all taught the gospel. I was the only one who joined the Church.”
Finding BYU–Hawaii
While studying in Arizona, Ram heard about BYU–Hawaii and was drawn to it immediately. “It was closer to home, still in the islands, and I wouldn’t have to change planes at LAX anymore,” she said with a laugh. She transferred to BYU–Hawaii in Fall 1982 but soon left to serve in the California Los Angeles Mission. Not long after returning home, she was called to serve a district mission in Guam while working full-time for 14 months at a Seventh-day Adventist clinic.
Her first job was as a dishwasher in the cafeteria. “It was humbling. I could program in five languages, but no one asked me about my skills,” Ram shared. Eventually, she took a library course that opened a new door. “Growing up, I didn’t even know we had libraries in Guam. But once I stepped into that space, I knew I’d found something I loved.”
Ram graduated in December 1989, married her husband, Tulsi, a Fiji-born Indian she met on campus, and started a family. While raising two children under age three, she earned her master’s degree in library science at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. “I still remember taking a three-hour final just days after giving birth,” she explained. “I prayed the whole time for the strength to get through it, but I made it”.
Leading and Serving at BYU–Hawaii
Ram was working as an intern at the BYU–Hawaii library when a position as a library faculty member in cataloging became available. Ram’s interviewer was General Authority John Groberg. New to the church, Ram was very excited, stating, “It felt special.” She remembers that his questions were not only academic but also about her faith. Her advice for all future BYU–Hawaii employees is to remember to help fulfill the prophecy of David O. McKay and to support the students here.
She wasn’t sure she would get the job, but was surprised when she saw that she had been accepted. She explains, “I didn't really think I was going to get it because I was just fresh out of graduate school, but they could see that I am a quick learner and that I could be taught how to do that skill of cataloging”. With new confidence, in 1994, she began a lifelong journey at the BYU–Hawaii Library.
Learning many new classification systems and resources was not always easy, but she says her background in computer science really helped her acquire the needed skills. She excelled in librarianship.
She worked in cataloging, interlibrary loan, and the Pacific collection. Ram also taught workshops on research and bibliographic instruction for students in disciplines ranging from English to Pacific Island Studies. She has a lot of fun with the students, helping them write and prepare papers. “I love working with students because I know what they are going through,” she said. She was one of the very few Pacific Island women on the faculty and served on numerous hiring committees. She also worked on the university's strategic planning committee.
Her leadership skills and knowledge didn’t go unnoticed. Between 2012 and 2024, she was asked to serve as an Associate Academic Vice President over accreditation and assessment. In the Spring of 2017, curriculum was added to Ram’s responsibilities. The work was challenging, especially when BYU–Hawaii faced critical accreditation reviews. In reflection, Ram gives the successes of these reviews to God. "He truly helped guide all these efforts."
One of her proudest accomplishments was helping the university transition from WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) to Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) accreditation in 2024, a process that spanned from July 2023 to July 2024.
Continuing the Work
After 35 years at BYU–Hawaii, Ram retired in August 2025. However, her service continues: she and her husband are in the process of submitting their mission papers and hope to serve internationally for a year. She states, “We want to go and serve God.”
Ram was able to learn how to lead in all these roles through the various roles she held here at BYU–Hawaii's single stake and wards as a student. Her involvement with BYU–Hawaii clubs and chapters added to developing leadership skills in different contexts of university life. She says, “I learned how to lead out in the church through the wards. I was a teacher in Relief Society. I was a counsellor. I was a Relief Society president”.
She recognizes that being both an employee and a student at BYU–Hawaii has made her more aware of the Savior and how His teachings have influenced her to do better. She says, “I just served with all my heart, mind, and strength because I knew God needed me to help him help his children.” She loves being a disciple of Jesus Christ and guiding students on their journey on the covenant path. Ram believes that helping God's children is at the heart of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Her advice to students is simple yet powerful: “You were handpicked to be here. Take full advantage, study hard, make friends from all over the world, and be ready to help the Lord in the work ahead.”
Looking back, Ram sees her career as a calling driven by faith. “This is God’s university,” she said. “The mission here is rooted in prophecy and revelation, and being part of that has been the greatest blessing of my life.”
