MY fellow brothers and sisters of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, for those of you who are graduating from high school this year: this letter is dedicated to you.
The day will be coming soon where you will be challenged to ask, “What do I do next?” Many of you will prefer to avoid the question. Maybe you have a job, and you’ll just keep working at it. A few will be eager and willing to go to college, either on-island or off of it. I have been down your road, and would like to share my own story with you.
Some of you may be scared to go off-island mainly because of financial issues and stressful thoughts of new things and environments. However, not to worry my brothers and sisters: all your stress about new places and financial woes are just temporary. Within a few weeks or months you’ll get relief, and you will give yourself a pat on the back and say, “wow, I am glad I made this decision.”
Like you, I graduated from high school with high hopes and high aspirations. But unlike you, I had a problem. I was Stateless. I could not leave Saipan and then come back to see my family and friends that easily because of my citizenship issue. At that time, it was unclear whether or not I am a citizen of the United States. Sometimes, I would be treated as a foreigner when entering Guam or Saipan. I really felt stuck.
So I made a decision. I continued college on-island while working several jobs. At that time, I was not able to avail of any federal or local scholarship. But that did not stop me; I was so focused on that college degree because I knew that if I wanted to get to the future I envisioned for myself, I would have to have a college degree. At one point, I was working three part-time jobs just to pay my college tuition. Four years later, I obtained my associate’s degree at Northern Marianas College.
After graduating from NMC, I worked on-island since I still had an issue with my citizenship and could not go off-island. However, I was still eager to pursue higher education and see the world. A year later, my citizenship status was resolved and I took advantage of one of the opportunities I had then, which was to move to Virginia and stay with a friend and pursue my bachelor’s degree.
Before even moving to Virginia, I was interested in joining the Army. At the time, when I was still on Saipan, I was hoping to be nominated to West Point by CNMI Washington Rep. Pete A. Tenorio. However due partly to my citizenship status, I could not qualify. When I got to Virginia, I found out about a similar program. It is called the Reserve Officers Training Corps. ROTC offered practically the same privileges as West Point — the only difference is that it is not just a military campus. There are hundreds of programs like this all throughout the United States. To name just a few of the benefits, ROTC offered me full paid tuition toward a degree of my choice, discounted travels around the world, commissary benefits, book allowance and monthly stipend.
Currently, I am enrolled at George Mason University’s ROTC program. I am pursuing my bachelor’s degree in economics, and have traveled across the United States. Upon completion, I will become an officer in the Army. To date, I have traveled to several places — I have been to the Philippines, Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Washington, D.C, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, California, Nevada and Arizona. I have also visited the Harvard campus, the Statue of Liberty, Time Square, the White House, the Library of Congress, the Golden Gate Bridge, Hollywood, Universal Studios, Seaworld and the Grand Canyon.
I was not the smartest kid on the block, nor was I very wealthy financially growing up. I was just your CNMI-born average Joe, with big hopes and endless dreams. I am proud to say that at least some of them are becoming reality.
The moral of this story is “Life can be tough, but with the right attitude anything is possible!” I came to the U.S. with about $100 in my pocket. About two years later, I have my own car. I am about a year away from graduating and have helped my younger sister to come attend a community college here. Let me share you my secret of success —there is no secret! Simply learn from your mistakes, always seek opportunities for self-improvement, treat others with respect as though you treat yourself and continue to dream big for one day, if you put your heart and mind into it — your dreams can become a reality! Anyone can do this.
I encourage the senior class of all the high schools in Saipan, Tinian, and Rota to start doing the following:
1. Research any colleges you could possibly attend and start filling and sending out applications.
2. Contact family, relatives, and/or friends abroad for help and continue seeking opportunities you can resort to as far as lodging is concerned.
3. Search online for federal and local scholarships and grants that you may be eligible for such as
a. http://www.fafsa.ed.gov
b. http://www.saipanshefa.com
c. http://www.cnmischolarship.com
There are deadlines and priority dates — take note of them well in advance!
Nothing will come to you for free. And I am sorry it is not simple. However; just look at it this way. The more difficult the task the more rewarding your prize is at the end. It’s all in your hands.
But one thing is for sure: if you don’t try, it’s guaranteed that you won’t be rewarded. The only way to get ahead in this life is to take risks. But win or lose, it’s a lot more interesting to take chances than to take none at all.

RANDY P. MENDOZA
Fairfax, Virginia