Sirena: A Mermaid Legend from Guam

Sirena is a young Chamorro girl who loves nature. She ignores her chores as usual to go swimming in the sparkling river, at a time in Guam's history when all is pristine. Her mother utters a curse that will forever change Sirena's life, unless her godmother can help. Based on a universal "tail" of the mystery and origin of mermaids, Sirena: A Mermaid Legend from Guam, is a retelling of a classic for the next generation of Chamorro children and all to dive into.

Tanya Chargualaf Taimanglo was born in 1974 to a Chamorro Army soldier and a South Korean beauty, Un Cha Kang. Her father is the late Siñot Tedy Gamboa Chargualaf. Tanya is the eldest child of three. Her brothers, Theo and Sonny K. Chargualaf reside on Guam with their families. Sonny collaborated with Tanya and created the stunning artwork of Sirena: A Mermaid Legend from Guam.

Tanya is the product of a Guam public school education. She graduated in 1992 from George Washington High School. She attended the University of Guam on a Merit Scholarship. She graduated with honors with a BA in English and Secondary Education in 1996. Tanya had an eight year career as an English and Creative Writing teacher at John F. Kennedy High School. Also, working proudly with the Tourism Academy. She taught alongside her late father, a Chamorro teacher and brother, Sonny--an art teacher. She has had work featured in Latte Magazine, University of Guam's Storyboard 6 and articles in local business magazines. She received the Who's Who Among America's Teachers award in 2000 and 2002.

Tanya married her childhood friend, Henry Taimanglo--a Navy Chief, in 2004 in the village of Asan. They currently reside in California with their two children. Tanya volunteers with the non-profit organization, CHE'LU, Inc. which strives to promote the Chamorro culture through education.