Daelan Alviz, left, and Jonte Camacho, formerly of Guam, work together on the same team as Starship integration test technicians at the Brownsville, Texas, location of SpaceX.
Daelan Alviz holds the Guam flag at SpaceX in Brownsville, Texas.
Daelan Alviz is shown with his mother Rosalie Cubacub.
Daelan Alviz and his family at San Francisco. From left: uncle and aunt Apollo and Susie Hilado; cousins Troy Leon Guerrero and Alana Leon Guerrero; uncle and aunt Josh and Daphne Leon Guerrero; grandparents Perfecto and Susanita Hilado; and Alviz.
Jonte Camacho stands in front of a SpaceX rocket in Brownsville, Texas.
Jonte Camacho and his family pose for a group photo.
Two former Guam residents are making history as part of Elon Musk’s SpaceX team that’s building Starship, reportedly the biggest and strongest spacecraft in history.
Daelan Alviz, left, and Jonte Camacho, formerly of Guam, work together on the same team as Starship integration test technicians at the Brownsville, Texas, location of SpaceX.
“Our goal is to show everyone on the big stage that the most talented and hardworking people can come from an island as small and unheard of as Guam,” said Daelan Alviz, a 23-year-old former Agana Heights resident and John F. Kennedy graduate.
He and Jonte Camacho, a former Barrigada resident, work together on the same team as integration test technicians at the Brownsville, Texas, location of SpaceX.
Daelan Alviz holds the Guam flag at SpaceX in Brownsville, Texas.
“The objective of the Starship program is to get us to Mars and to make the human species interplanetary,” said Camacho, a 25-year-old alumnus of George Washington High School. “It’s a really big deal and becomes more motivating, especially when you’re actually building the rocket and get hands-on.”
The pair integrate the rocket and its components — from the engines to the flaps to the prop lines. Aside from testing the rocket before flight, they are also involved in welding, drilling and working with sheet metal on the rocket.
Jonte Camacho stands in front of a SpaceX rocket in Brownsville, Texas.
“It is definitely the most physically demanding job that I have ever worked,” Alviz said. “We work on night shift from 6 p.m.-6 a.m., and it’s just continuous hard work. That’s where a lot of former employees fall out from.”
Camacho agrees with Alviz, but both are still very appreciative of their time at SpaceX.
“The experience that you get from SpaceX is second to none,” Camacho said. “I never thought I’d go work for a company like this.
“We’re making history by building rockets to get to Mars,” he added. “At least we get to say we put an imprint on that.”
“I never thought that I was going to end up here,” Alviz said. “It just kind of happened, and it’s been a blessing so far.”
Alviz and Camacho have known each other for over four years after meeting in Japan, where they were stationed together.
They both started their careers after high school in the Marine Corps, where they worked on F/A-18 aircraft as mechanics.
“When I got to Japan, Jonte had been there for almost a year, and when the guys found out I was from Guam, they’re like, ‘There’s also another guy from Guam here named Camacho,’” said Alviz, who served in the Marines from 2017 to 2020. Camacho served from 2016 to 2021.
“We ended up linking and forming a small group of us from Guam that were also stationed in Japan,” he added. “We would always hang out every weekend for barbecues that brought us closer with one another.”
It was in the Marine Corps that Alviz found his passion for aircraft.
“I knew I always wanted to be a mechanic, but I just didn’t know what kind,” Alviz said. “I always thought I was just probably going to work on cars, but that changed when Jonte and I worked on the same aircraft.
“Although I found my interest there though, it was not an easy feat being in the Marine Corps,” he added. “That took a lot out of us, but it also gave us the experience that we needed to have to be where we are today.”
Daelan Alviz is shown with his mother Rosalie Cubacub.
Ready to move on, Alviz left his job in the Marine Corps in 2020 and underwent a rigorous recruitment process for SpaceX.
“It was actually really tough because I was in the interview stage for around seven months and went through six interviews,” Alviz said. “It was also during COVID, so it kind of made everything a little bit more difficult.”
Camacho followed shortly after leaving the Marine Corps in 2021. He was also hired by SpaceX and was assigned to the same team as Alviz.
“I was fortunate Daelan was already in the company, so he helped get me in by referring me,” Camacho said. “It was a lot quicker, and it took around two months.”
While working both at the Marine Corps and SpaceX, Camacho and Alviz always made sure they stay culturally rooted.
“People down here at SpaceX never really met anybody from Guam. Their first impression of people from Guam is usually when they meet us,” Alviz said. “So, Jonte and I always do our best to show that we are hardworking.”
Jonte Camacho and his family pose for a group photo.
“We also bring the Guam hospitality and the island vibes at work by being sociable,” Camacho said. “I think the coolest thing is sharing our culture and where we’re from.”
Daelan Alviz and his family at San Francisco. From left: uncle and aunt Apollo and Susie Hilado; cousins Troy Leon Guerrero and Alana Leon Guerrero; uncle and aunt Josh and Daphne Leon Guerrero; grandparents Perfecto and Susanita Hilado; and Alviz.
Recently, Camacho and Alviz invited several co-workers to a beach cookout in Texas where they barbecued Guam style. They’ve also served kelaguen and red rice at previous get-togethers.
“Being from Guam made me so prideful with everything that I do,” Alviz said. “Everything that I do, I carry my island on my back, so I always give 100 percent of everything as I think about my (family and friends) back home.”
“By doing well at work and sharing our island culture, we are proving ourselves out here that Guam people can also excel in this field,” Camacho said.
entertainment, lifestyle and artist features. Reach him at
Ron Rocky Coloma covers entertainment, lifestyle and artist features. Reach him at rcoloma@guampdn.com.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Your comment has been submitted.
There was a problem reporting this.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
Nicole DeLisle Duenas, left, and Michael Bevaqua explain their display at the soft opening of the Weaving a Net(work) of Care for Oceanic Collections exhibit at the East-West Center Gallery in Honolulu on July 29, 2022.
If you are on Oahu and would like to see the latte at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, this video walks you through to the area where the stones lie.