15 students selected for Byrd Scholarship

Fifteen incoming college freshmen from Saipan and Tinian qualified for the competitive Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship, the Public School System announced.

The recipients hail from both public and private schools, whose qualifications were measured based on high academic achievements during their final years in high school.

Saipan students Anita B. Hofschneider, Taylor E. Smith, Kristina Bermudes, Wen Hui Ye, Kayla M. Techur, Kathleen Johnson, Nicole Sonia G. Castro, Letitia Wu Cabrera, Ann Rochell Ermitanio, Bryan T. Demapan, Maria Agnes Constante, Louvelle G. Borja, Alexis P. Cabrera, Jolene S. Aguon, and Nadia DLG Benjamin were named recipients of the much coveted scholarship awards.

PSS has received allocation for 15 scholars under the U.S. Department of Education. However, according to Education Commissioner David Borja, “a number of qualified applicants far exceeded the 15 scholarships” the US DOE has made available each year to the PSS.

Each recipient is entitled to $1,500 for up to four years, subject to continued federal funding and the graduate’s academic success in college.

Moreover, scholars may also qualify for up to $6,000 each, or a minimum in additional scholarship assistance.

The recipients were chosen by a designated committee that judged the applicants based on an essay, constituting 30 percent of the total scholarship decision (30 points maximum).

A student’s grade point average comprises 50 percent of the total scholarship decision. Furthermore, aspiring scholars also have to produce two recommendation letters, making up 20 percent of the scholarship decision.

Borja said the CNMI needs the expertise that each of the scholars will acquire when they complete their studies.

“It is for that reason that the PSS urges each of these 15 scholars to be diligent in their studies and to come home and share your knowledge and practice the skills you have acquired once you graduate,” Borja said.

Borja commended the Byrd scholars for their excellent efforts and their parents for being role models for the entire community to emulate.

He is encouraging this school year’s junior students and their parents to start thinking now about scholarship opportunities such as the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship.