3 NMC students awarded $5.5K scholarship grants

 The Businesswoman of the Year Award program of the First Hawaiian Bank and Guam Business Magazine awarded yesterday $5,490 worth of scholarships to three students of the Northern Marianas College on Saipan.

Jatanna Sherise Cabrera, Marie Luise Del Carmen, and Keneisha Parks were awarded the scholarships based on their total number of credit hours enrolled in the fall semester, grades, community involvement, and “potential to become successful businesspeople.”

The three were among the seven beneficiaries from Guam and Saipan who are pursuing degrees at NMC, Guam Community College, and the University of Guam.

The scholarships were presented to the three NMC students in a ceremony held at the First Hawaiian Bank Gualo Rai branch.

During the presentation, First Hawaiian Bank president and chief operating officer Bob Harrison emphasized the importance of education, adding that they’re “very happy” to support students from Saipan and Guam in their pursuit of higher learning.

Johnnie Fong, president of the TransPacific Group of Companies that publishes Guam Business Magazine, said that the Businesswoman of the Year Award program also honors women who have contributed to the community.

“We hope that our Businesswoman of the Year program will honor one of our scholarship recipients in the future,” said Fong.

Barbara Merfalen, NMC dean of Academic Programs and Services, who represented college president Sharon Hart at the ceremony, thanked the scholarship program’s officials for the opportunity they have given to the three students to further their education at the local college.

Lydia Parks, Keneisha’s mother, attended the presentation on behalf of her daughter who was in school.

She said Keneisha, who’s taking up minor classes for now, will use her $1,830 scholarship to pursue a degree in accounting and follow her mom’s footsteps.

Del Carmen, 18, said this was the first scholarship she has ever applied for. “I feel so accomplished, something I’ve never felt before. I thank them for this opportunity,” said the business management major.

Cabrera, a freshman accounting student, said she feels “very honored” to have been chosen as one of the recipients of the scholarship. “The scholarship is a very good opportunity for students who are majoring in the business field. I strongly recommend that they apply for it,” said Cabrera, 18.

A similar presentation was also held for scholarship recipients from Guam at the First Hawaiian Bank Tamuning Branch on Tuesday. They are Carmelita Reyes of Guam Community College; Ione Skye Llagas, Audre Rae McAuslen, and Maryanne Pascua of UOG.

Laura-Lynn V. Dacanay, First Hawaiian Bank senior vice president and region manager for Guam and CNMI, said the scholarship program is “a tool for [students] to further themselves in their career” and enable them to “give back to the community.

“We believe that education is the foundation for them to build themselves up in that regard,” said Dacanay. “We’re very proud to be able to sponsor that.”

Dacanay disclosed that there were 10 applicants who applied for the scholarship.

For 2011, the 6th year of the program, Dacanay said between $25,000 to $28,000 was raised to fund scholarships for the fall and spring semesters.

“We still have funds remaining for the spring semester so other students can apply for it,” she said.