TWENTY-THREE Kagman High School students on Friday received certificates for completing the Intuit Personal Finance and IC3 Digital Literacy courses.
Intuit Personal Finance aims to boost high school students’ confidence in their personal finance knowledge and equip them with real-world money management skills.
The IC3 Digital Literacy is a comprehensive technology certification course that covers technology basics, use of technology, digital communications, content creation and collaboration, managing information, social media and digital citizenship and safety and security.
These courses are part of the federally funded Career and Technical Education Program of PSS.
Thirteen of the students completed the Intuit Personal Finance course, while 10 students completed the IC3 Digital Literacy course.
According to Alex Hu, chief operating officer of Island Training Solutions or ITS, both courses achieved a 100% pass rate.
ITS is the CNMI’s regional distributor for Certiport, a Pearson VUE company and the leading global provider of learning and certification courses and software for the secondary, post-secondary and professional markets.
Those who received the certifications for Intuit Personal Finance were Mametto Iakopo, Adrianne Sakisat, Tyler Dela Cruz, Angel Manolo, Auytil Seman, Sahara Laoyan, Austin Diaz, Levonnie Pua, Tsubakiko Joab, Francisco Magofna-Sablan, Juco Fitial, Kody Palacios and Jaziah Reyne Concepcion.
Those who completed the IC3 Digital Literacy certification course were Mametto Iakopo, Maximo Mangarero, Jude Nekai, Ean Camacho, Dorishalyn Dela Cruz, Kalei Aguon, Paseva Ngotel, Karly Halstead, Charles Baybay, and Kody Palacios.
Hu said the examinations the students passed were not easy. He has taken the exams himself and noted that some of the students “scored better than we did.”
On behalf of ITS, he thanked the Public School System’s Career and Technical Education Program for the support.
ITS instructor Shea Hartig said it was an honor to work closely with the students each day as they tackled the coursework. She added that she adapted her teaching style to meet each student’s individual needs, ensuring they received the support necessary to succeed.
She expressed pride in the students’ consistent hard work and dedication, saying it clearly paid off in the end.
“I am very proud of their accomplishments, and I wish them luck with their new certifications moving forward,” Hartig said.
For her part, PSS Senior Director for Curriculum and Instructional Services Dr. Rizalina Liwag congratulated the students who completed the courses.
She noted that students from other high schools across the CNMI also completed the certification courses, which are part of PSS’s college and career readiness initiative.
“With these certifications, they’re now prepared to enter careers in both the digital and financial fields,” she added.
The Kagman High School students who completed the Intuit Personal Finance certification course pose for a photo with Public School System Senior Director for Curriculum and Instructional Services Dr. Rizalina Liwag, second right, PSS Career and Technical Education Program Director Dr. Jessica B. Taylor, right, Island Training Solutions Chief Operating Officer Alex Hu, right back row, and ITS instructor Shea Hartig, center, after the awarding of certificates in the KHS cafeteria on Friday.
Photos by Emmanuel T. Erediano
The Kagman High School students who completed the IC3 Digital Literacy certification course pose for a photo with Public School System Senior Director for Curriculum and Instructional Services Dr. Rizalina Liwag, PSS Technical Education Program Director Dr. Jessica B. Taylor, Island Training Solutions Chief Operating Officer Alex Hu, and ITS instructor Shea Hartig in the KHS cafeteria on Friday.
