Over 60 attend counselors’ conference

Dr. Ignacia Demapan poses with attendees after her session on Cultural Awareness in the Tapochau Room of Saipan World Resort. (Jayson Camacho)

Over 60 counselors, teachers, volunteers, and advocates attended the 2014 Counselor’s Conference held at the Saipan World Resort on March 20 and 21.
The workshop started at 7:30am for both days and ended at 4pm with various advocacy concessions like the Division of Youth Services, Project Brabu, HIV/STD Program, HOME Visiting Program, Non-Communicable Disease Bureau, Commonwealth Cancer Association, and Joeten Kiyu Public Library showcasing their partnership with the Public School System and Northern Marianas College.

NMC also held presentations on admissions and information, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, financial aid, and the College Access Challenge Grant.

The workshop also held breakout sessions and lunch and snacks were provided throughout the workshop.

One of the highlights of the workshops was the promotion of the College Access Challenge Grant, as presented by Theresa Worswick and Hedwig Hofschneider, who are both outreach counselors for the program.

NMC director of student activities and counseling Timothy Baker said that NMC is reapplying for the grant.

“Since counselors have direct contact with majority of the students, we try to support their knowledge,” Baker said. The funding from the College Access Challenge Grant is a big part of the conference.

Baker said the conference had a great turnout. “Fantastic! PSS probably has the best group of academic counselors dedicated and they need all the support,” he added.

NMC, through the College Access Challenge Grant, works with counselors to make sure students get into college. Baker noted that they are planning and working on more grants.

Daisy Villagomez-Bier, a counselor at San Antonio Elementary School, said that the conference aims to work with all the different school counselors. “It is an outreach to help each other, by providing educational opportunities and unlocking the potential of students,” she said.

Villagomez-Bier said the conference is a wonderful opportunity “to work with former colleagues and its really important for educational institutions when they partner up, they work together for the betterment of the kids.”

The breakout sessions, which lasted about an hour, included risk behaviors, group counseling, cultural awareness, working with students with special needs, drug and alcohol abuse and what to do in an active shooting incident.

Major presentations were also held by other presenters about paying for college, starting at NMC, introductions to WICHE, team building, and mental health.

NMC, with funding from the CACG, promotes college admission and success among thousands of students and families in the CNMI each year.

The 2014 Counselors’ Conference was made possible through the financial support of the U.S. Department of Education’s CACG program. (Jayson Camacho)