63 students complete 4th Annual SummerTECH Program

A total of 63 students were feted during an awards ceremony yesterday after completing five weeks of the Northern Marianas Technical Institute and the Public School System’s 2024 SummerTECH Program at NMTech campus in Lower Base.

During the ceremony, students from PSS schools across Saipan, Tinian and Rota shared their experiences in the summer course.

Hong Zhang, a student at Tinian Junior/Senior High School, shared, “Today is a very special day for all of us. A day of joy, celebration, reflection, and anticipation for the future to come. We have learned so many things from electrical course, bending pipes, stripping wires, and reconnecting them and then baking cupcakes and cookies.”

He admitted he was nervous going into the course but over the weeks had built friendships with other students in the cohort. “We were able to make memories,” Zhang added.

Kaden Manglona from Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Jr./Sr. High School shared his experience as well. “For me, it was a very enticing and exciting opportunity to be able to participate in this program. My experience here at NMTech has taught me valuable lessons but with fun, passion, and 100% positive vibes. Like how to use an E-GUN, what tools electricians use from the very basics of electrical work to culinary arts. However, I came to find out that culinary arts is definitely not for me. As my Rice Krispies looked like a rock, felt like a rock, and tasted like an expired job record. My pipes weren’t straight either, but despite not being the best student I did indeed enjoy it and had fun learning about it.”

Manglona said the experience is something he will never forget in his life and will shape him to be the person he wants to be in the future.

“I’m not fully able to describe with words the sheer ‘awesomeness’ of NMTech, so I really hope that PSS continues to support this program, as I want other people from my island to be able to have the opportunity that I had.”

Each student representative also shared thanks to the teachers and staff that helped them throughout the course, and PSS for making it happen.

In a conversation with NMTech Marketing and Outreach coordinator Ben Babauta Jr. he shared a little more about the cohort.

“We did an exploratory course, so the students did two weeks in electrical and then two weeks in baking and pastry. And another group of students did two weeks in baking and pastry and then two weeks in automotive. So, that was a total of four weeks. Then on Week 5, we had guest speakers in the trades industry that they studied about. And then we also took them to the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. for the electrical component and Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan to see the electricals in a hotel. Then we took them to Herman’s Bakery to see the bakery in action. Then for the automotive route, we took them to both Atkins Kroll Saipan and Triple J Motors to see the service department and what they learned in class.”

Babauta said they catered the programs so that the curriculum is something the students are able to do at home and able to understand the general knowledge and concepts of each trade.

“So, we didn’t do too much about getting into the detail, but just introducing them to the trade and knowing that these trades exist in our everyday lives, and they’re able now to understand it at home and at school.”

Babauta said that for the electrical courses they gave students an introduction to electrical tools, the positive and negative charges, light circuits, and more.

“Actually, one of them had help from their parents and they actually made a light switch at home. So, they took the skills from NMTech and then worked at it at home.”

Babauta shared that the 2024 SummerTECH Program had been a collaborative effort.

“In partnership with PSS, we do this every summer. Because of the popularity, we had to open a second cohort, which was automotive and baking and pastry. But now that we know the demand, we are going to prep for next summer to possibly accommodate more students or expand on the trades.”

He said that their ultimate goal is to give opportunity to every student in the CNMI.