Upward Bound student off to Hawaii

Sorena Babauta, a sophomore from Marianas High School, has been selected to attend a six-week Upward Bound Math and Science Summer Program at the University of Hawaii-Hilo from June 8 to July 20.

While at the Hawaii university, Sorena and the participants will be exposed to classroom instructions in Math, Science, English, Computers, research opportunities, college and career exploration activities, cultural and educational enrichment activities, field trips around the island, and getting faculty and student mentors.

NMC counselor Jane Tudela said the main goal of the Math and Science Summer Program is to prepare students who are planning to major in Math/Science or related fields while in college.

Asked how she feels about her selection into the summer program, Sorena replied, “I am surprised and excited at the same time. I’m surprised that I was selected to be a participant in the UH-Hilo Math and Science Summer Program. I am excited because it will be a learning experience in traveling to a bigger island such as Hawaii,” said the teenager, admitting that the farthest place she has traveled was to Guam.

“I expect to learn how to choose the right college for my major, to be more independent, and to network with people. From this experience, I will share my knowledge with my fellow Upward Bound members and encourage them to apply next year,” she added.

Sorena is currently considering a career in Nursing or Medicine. “I want to comfort babies who are suffering from various illnesses. In addition, my experience with one of my parent being diabetic inspired me to pursue a career in Nursing or Medicine. I hope to work closely with health researchers in finding the cure for diabetes. I personally feel that we must fully educate our people about this disease.”

But the high school student is also interested in exploring the Computer Science and Automotive Engineering fields. “My father [is encouraging] me to pursue a career in Computer Science or Automotive Engineering and [do research] in building an energy-saver and low mileage automobile for any-weather use.”

Sorena is a participant of the Northern Marianas College Upward Bound Program, a Federal TRIO Program, whose mission is to prepare and motivate qualified high school students for postsecondary education.

She is the daughter of Ricardo and Magdalena Babauta of Kagman, Saipan. Sorena enjoys playing volleyball, soccer, listening to reggae music, and reading novels. “I love to play sports such as softball, basketball, and volleyball. However, I don’t compete in these sports as much as I would like to because I want to maintain good academic standing in high school.”