70 students join Chamber’s Career Exploration Day

Students that participated in the 2019 Saipan Chamber of Commerce Career Exploration Day have their picture taken after getting their certificates of participation during the Chamber’s membership meeting last Dec. 4, 2019, at the Saipan World Resort’s Royal Taga Hall. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

The Education and Workforce, or EdWork, Committee of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce executed a successful Career Exploration Day last Dec. 4, with 70 students exposed to the different career professions in the Commonwealth.

The students—juniors and seniors from seven private and public schools—were matched with 31 Chamber-member companies and agencies for a day of mentorship and career exploration for the community’s future leaders.

Students shadowed executives, managers, and employees from assigned Chamber-member companies and agencies for the first half of the morning. All students and company representatives then met for lunch at the Saipan World Resort for the Chamber’s general membership meeting, where Northern Marianas Technical Institute CEO Agnes McPhetres and Labor Secretary Vicky Benavente shared their insights about choosing career paths that are both personally fulfilling and contribute to the CNMI economy.

The investment in the student leaders continued after the general membership meeting, with Chamber-member volunteers sharing their time and expertise for personal and professional development in 30-minute workshop sessions:

• Tyrell Pauling, Hyatt Regency Saipan Food and Beverage director, focused his presentation on his journey post-high school, where he chose a path fueled by his passion for cooking. He talked about the importance of trades, especially in the region.

• Dave Guerrero, assistant vice president of First Hawaiian Bank, focused on the importance of financial literacy at an early age. He shared some savings tips and other eye-opening conversations promoting good saving and banking practices.

• Polly Deleon Guerrero Masga, Human Resource manager at the Northern Marianas College, shared some tips about interviewing skills for students looking to go straight into the workforce.

• Johnathan Aguon, Da’ok Academy principal and co-owner of Edvance Pacific, inspired students with his presentation onf the power of positive thinking and growth-oriented mindsets.

“Business engagement is a critical factor in addressing the workforce needs of our CNMI,” said Chamber EdWork Committee chair Nicole Babauta. “The SCC Education and Workforce Development Committee would like to thank its members for imparting their business leadership, investment and engagement to help move our workforce forward.”

The participating schools were Da’ok Academy, Grace Christian Academy, Kagman High School, Marianas High School, Mount Carmel School, Saipan International School, and Saipan Southern High School.

The Chamber also celebrates its members who gave their time and energy to help mentor these future leaders: American Red Cross-NMI Chapter, Angil Design, Aon Insurance, Bank of Saipan, BankPacific, Budget Car Rental, D&R Visuals, Department of Labor, DFS Saipan, Docomo Pacific, Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan, First Hawaiian Bank, GHD, Hyatt Regency Saipan, IT&E, JZ Group, Kanoa Resort, Marianas Pacific Distributors, Inc., Marianas Visitor’s Authority, MP Holdings- Saipan Vegas, N15 Architects, No Ka Oi, Northern Marianas Humanities Council, NMTI, Pacific Islands Club Saipan, Pacifica Insurance Underwriters, Inc., Paradise Dental Spa, Rebelfi, Saipan Seventh Day Adventist Clinic, Saipan Seventh Day Adventist School, and Triple J Saipan. (PR)