6 students awarded NMC tourism scholarships

The Northern Marianas College Tourism Scholarship board recently presented scholarship awards to six deserving students in fulfilling its mission to provide financial assistance in developing hospitality professionals in the CNMI.

The six recipients included NMC students Jean Ballesteros, Rannel Calixterio, Susana Kim, Shirlynn Perez, and Janice Santos, who each received $1,000, and full-time Pacific Islands Club employee Andrea Cepeda, who is taking hospitality courses through the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Motel Association.

The NMC Tourism Scholarship, originally the brainchild of former Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands members Wendy Herring (former PIC general manager) and Ron Sablan (former HANMI president), is funded through monetary contributions from HANMI members. The scholarship is administered by a five-member board consisting of Josephine Mesta, Hyatt Regency Saipan Human Resources director; Angel Yamashita, Pacific Islands Club Saipan Human Resources manager; Ray Basa, NMC Admissions and Financial Aid Director; Daisy Manglona-Propst, NMC Financial Aid Counselor; and Larry Lee, NMC Business Department Chair/Tourism Instructor.

The purposes of the Tourism Scholarship are to develop hospitality professionals by providing financial assistance and on-the-job training opportunities to high school and college students in their pursuit of careers in the tourism and hospitality industry; to help alleviate the critical current and future shortage of skilled and trained workforce for the CNMI; and to provide current tourism industry employees with opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills, and enhance their career and professional development.

The number of scholarships awarded each year depend upon the availability of funds.

To be eligible for this scholarship, an applicant must:

1. Be a U.S. citizen or CNMI resident, and/or be currently employed in the hospitality industry with at least two years of employment service in the CNMI.

2. Be enrolled as a full or part-time student in at least one tourism course at NMC or be enrolled in another approved professional tourism course during the semester that the scholarship is being awarded.

3. Have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher (does not apply to industry employee applicants).

Interested applicants may obtain a Tourism Scholarship application form from the NMC Financial Aid Office, NMC Business Department, or HANMI member hotel. The deadline for Spring 2005 semester applications is Jan. 21, 2005.

For more information, contact Larry Lee at 234-5498, ext. 1827, or email: larryl@nmcnet.edu.