Mixing music and medicine

A couple of years ago, 19-year-old Vina Claire “Saschuuram” Saures and her brothers decided to create a memorabilia for their family, recording 10 tracks “simply for fun.”

The recording, preceded by various performances at home and family gatherings, has since served as a popular ticket to the local music mainstream, garnering much attention as well as touching the minds, hearts, and lives of many whose ears enjoy island-flavored tunes.

Despite her voice being heard on the radios in cars, homes, and offices, this has not in any way changed Saures’ goals in life. While many aspire for superstardom through music, Saures said her mind is still set on accomplishing a childhood dream: helping other people by becoming a doctor.

“Music is just a hobby, something I enjoy doing for my own entertainment,” she said in a recent interview.

Saures explained that having a musically inclined family made it easy for her to get drawn into the singing.

“My brothers and I would get together and just jam,” she said. “We enjoyed doing it together as something to entertain ourselves. We never really considered it to be a band.”

She revealed that the songs recorded were not originally intended to be distributed or heard by the whole island. She said she was shocked upon learning that the songs were being played on the radio.

“I’m not one really looking for attention. It was not something that we really put a lot of time into,” she said of the recording. “It was sort of embarrassing because I was concerned about the reactions, but the positive reactions of people, which came unexpectedly, was something that encouraged me.”

She said she was overjoyed to know that people appreciate and enjoy the recordings.

“It’s an overwhelming feeling, seeing that it actually touches and entertains people,” she said.

Aside from the recording, Saures cites music as a big part of her life—a passion, in fact.

“If you love it and you genuinely try to learn it, it will develop into a passion,” she said. “At times, it seems like it has human characteristics. It’s an all-around kind of thing that’s always keeps me company when I’m lonely, feeling homesick, happy, or in any mood.”

Saures is currently a student at Chaminade University in Honolulu, and tries to return to Saipan during the summer and Christmas holidays. She was not on island when the songs were released and got airplay on the radio.

In Honolulu, she said she would play and sing with friends.

Last summer, Saures was invited to sing the CNMI anthem at the opening of the Liberation Fest. She also seized the opportunity to record five more tracks, including a song composed by her father, Thomas Saures.

She indicated that the songs were all recorded for fun but if the opportunity comes along for her to record an album, she would take it—if she has the time.

“I have so many things to do. My mind is focused on my goal and my education,” she said. “Music is still something that I do on my free time, but so far, it’s been a great and very positive experience.”

After Chaminade, Saures aims to enter medical school where she would major in obstetrics and gynecology.

“I realized it’s something we need here on the islands and it’s one of the fields we are in dire need of,” she said, citing that since her younger years, she has always dreamed of being involved in the medical field.

Saures graduated from Grace Christian Academy as salutatorian of her class in 2003.

Saures extended gratitude to her family, especially her parents, for “the support and unconditional love they’ve given me and continue to give me.”

“My family is the reason for any success that I’ve had,” she said.

She also extended a special appreciation to her father “for his unwavering support and faith in all my endeavors.”