The five students were chosen after a screening and selection process involving 36 applicants from 10 high schools on Saipan.
Kevin Harvey Bautista from Mount Carmel School, the first scholarship recipient, wants to be a teacher and then a lawyer so he can serve the CNMI community.
Bautista, who was described by his mentor Galvin Deleon Guerrero as an “extremely bright, well organized and a passionately committed individual” led his school team to two regional championships in the annual CNMI mock trial competition.
Bautista’s observation about the economy and how the government overlooks the importance of the private sector was noted by the screening committee.
Getting ready to pursue her dreams of becoming a doctor is former MV Teen reporter Alexis Rochelle Hofschneider, a senior from Kagman High School who has just been accepted to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Hofscheider, president of the KagHS chapter of the National Honor Society, is the daughter of Sen. Jude and Elizabeth Hofschneider.
Sports enthusiast Marie Fraince Javier from Marianas High School is another chamber scholarship recipient this year. Considered as role model by her teammates and teachers, Javier could be attending an NCAA school or aspire to be the next Women’s National Basketball Association star, but she chooses to become an accountant.
“I promise to be back here soon and work for the CNMI,” she said.
Maria Kristina Balajadia, Mount Carmel School’s valedictorian, will study biology at the University of Washington.
She was actively involved in music, the mock trial and We the People competitions, and has earned top honors including the President’s Award for Meritorious Achievement.
Described by the committee as “brilliant, incredibly determined, honest, of excellent character and academic skills,” Grace Lee from Marianas High School has just been accepted to the Emory University in Atlanta.
Lee, a member of the National Honor Society and a recipient of the JROTC Scholastic Service Award, has been actively involved in various community events. She plans to go to medical school, become a neurosurgeon and come back to serve the people of the CNMI.
Chamber of commerce administrator/planner Janice Tenorio said the scholarship committee chaired by Kanae Quinn had a hard time choosing the finalists from 36 applicants.
“It was a tough job because all the applicants were qualified. In the end, the committee picked 12 finalists for the interview before choosing the final five,” Tenorio said.
