\n\t\t\t\tYUI NAOMI ITO \nSalutatorian\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n
\nAlina Ishikawa and Kanata Omori were presented the highest academic honors and were named as the class\u2019 valedictorians.<\/p>\nIshikawa, in her remarks, said that Friday\u2019s event was \u201cbittersweet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is finally our turn to close this chapter of high school and write the sequel to the story we end today,\u201d she told her classmates. \u201cCollege is a new start that introduces new friends, but you will always remain my originals.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is time to move on and continue on our own separate ways. I hope that you all enjoy college life and I wish you all the best of luck in everything you do,\u201d said Ishikawa, who will be studying Pharmacy at the Northeastern University.<\/p>\n
The 17-year-old student expressed gratitude to the school\u2019s faculty, teachers, and her parents, Akemi and Juko Ishikawa.<\/p>\n
Fellow valedictorian Kanata Omori sympathized with Ishikawa.<\/p>\n
\u201cLife as a student of Marianas Baptist Academy is not easy, but it is rewarding,\u201d he said in his address. \u201cI want to thank my parents for everything. From birth until present, they have stuck by me through it all.\u201d<\/p>\n
He told his fellow graduates, \u201cWe aren\u2019t starting a new chapter in our lives, we are merely continuing on a much bigger scale. Don\u2019t change who you are, because once you do that, you start to lost sight of what truly matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Omori, who also received the Leadership Award, plans to study communication at the University of Virginia. He is the son of Annarose and Takahiro Omori.<\/p>\n
The school also named two salutatorians\u2014Yui Naomi Ito and Kristian Brian Reyes.<\/p>\n
Michael Kevin Cataluna, Alina Ishikawa, Kanata Omori, Sang Hyuk Park, and Denise Rae Samson received the Loyalty Award. The award is given to students who have attended the academy since junior high school.<\/p>\n
Michael Kevin Cataluna and Susanne Mariane Park were named as the most improved students.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am finally done writing one chapter of my life.\u201d senior graduate Denise Rae Samson told Saipan Tribune. \u201cNow, here I go making another one.\u201d<\/p>\n
The commencement ceremony\u2019s keynote speaker was Mariana Resort & Spa general manager Gloria Cavanagh, who told the graduates of her experience transitioning from high school to college. She urged the students to find what makes them happy.<\/p>\n
\u201cFind what makes you happy. Happy short term like ice cream and chocolate chip cookies or long term like a family and a career,\u201d she said. \u201cHave fun in college, meet new people, take a course outside of your norm, explore your vast surroundings, try different food, and experience different cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sometimes, she said, people discover that what truly makes them happy is something they would have never thought about.<\/p>\n
She added, \u201cAlways remember that you win some and lose some. It is what you do when you lose that determines your character.\u201d<\/p>\n
School president Rev. Ramiro H. Trinidad congratulated the students on closing the high school chapter of their lives and congratulated their parents on their success.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is OK to fail,\u201d he told the students. \u201cYou must think of life as a journey. Think of ways to make the journey more present for others as well as yourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
MBA\u2019S CLASS OF 2014<\/p>\n
\n- Chelsea Marie B. Bartolo: Bob Jones University, Pre-med<\/li>\n
- Vanessa Rome B. Bartolo: Pensacola Christian College, Pharmacy<\/li>\n
- Michael Kevin Cataluna: Houston Community College, Petroleum Engineering<\/li>\n
- Alina Ishikawa: Northeastern University, Pharmacy<\/li>\n
- Yui Naomi M. Ito: DePaul University, Psychology<\/li>\n
- Daa Hyeon Jeung: Auckland University, Childhood Education<\/li>\n
- Doo Ho Kim: Northern Marianas College, Education<\/li>\n
- Chris Nhoel Obaldo: Walla Walla University, undeclared<\/li>\n
- Kanata Espiritu Omori: University of Virginia, Communication<\/li>\n
- San Hyuk Park: Les Roches Jin Jiang College, International Hotel Management<\/li>\n
- Susanne Mariane Park: Ohio State University, Psychology<\/li>\n
- Primo Domingo Po: Kingsborough College, Business<\/li>\n
- Hoffmann Pun: Northern Marianas College, undeclared<\/li>\n
- Kristian Brian Reyes: Mounthood Community College, Engineering<\/li>\n
- Jacinia Tiche Richards: Northern Marianas College, undeclared<\/li>\n
- Denise Rae Samson: Lamar Institute of Technology, Nutrition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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