(NMC-CREES) — Four high school students and one college student proudly represented the CNMI at the 2026 National 4-H Conference on April 10-15, 2026.
While Super Typhoon Sinlaku tore through the Marianas, four youth delegates stood their ground 7,000 miles away in Washington D.C., building a foundation for the future. At the 2026 National 4-H Conference, the CNMI delegation served as a living testament to the islands’ spirit, transforming a time of crisis into a powerful platform for advocacy, leadership, and pride.
Held from April 10–15, 2026 in Washington D.C., the National 4-H Conference unites youth leaders from across the nation to provide an immersive experience for 4-H members in professional development, networking, and future career opportunities. The event is the flagship youth development opportunity event held by the United States Department of Agriculture and hosted by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
This year, the CNMI sent out four high school students, referred to as youth delegates, from Saipan and Rota — Isa Nishitani, Jesse Lin, Jeongbin “Celine” Park, and Danica Malaborbor — while longtime 4-H Marianas member and current scholar at Western Oregon University, Rosabelle Surla, also attended and played a key role in her third year participating in the conference as a lead collegiate facilitator.
The four youth delegates gained experiential learning through engaging with representatives from federal agriculture agencies and congressional committees and participating in roundtable discussions on various critical issues. Students are challenged to create solutions for different questions posed by a federal partner or congressional committee, then participate in leading Youth Perspective Briefing presentations to 18 federal agencies at the end of the conference. Students also participate in roundtable discussions surrounding AI, apprenticeship pathways, and family engagement as it relates to substance use.
The experience aims to strengthen the youths’ ability to collaborate, present to federal officials, and develop leadership skills that they will carry home with them. Delegates come home empowered to engage with their fellow youth, inspire leadership within their peers, and promote awareness of current issues in their communities.
“Working with 200+ fellow 4-H’ers, I realized that the history of America is often told as a single story, leaving out the unique voices of territories like the CNMI,” stated Saipan delegate Jeongbin “Celine” Park.
Park continued, “As it connects to my collaborative roundtable discussion with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, I learned that true leadership means securing the resources to archive our island’s resilience within the national story.”
Surla took on a bigger role at this year’s conference as lead collegiate facilitator, a position in which she played an integral role in the planning and success of the 2026 National 4-H Conference. Previously serving twice as Collegiate Facilitator in 2024 and 2025, her duties this year expanded into designing curriculum, overseeing delegate roundtable discussions on various national issues, and supporting delegates from across the nation. She began preparing more than seven months prior to the conference through active involvement in facilitator selection processes, planning meetings, interviews, training, and other key preparatory activities.
In her leadership role, Surla mentored and supported the collegiate facilitators, served as a liaison between adult chaperones and conference staff, and helped ensure the conference operated smoothly and efficiently. Through her dedication, professionalism, and welcoming presence, she helped create a positive and inclusive experience for participants while contributing significantly to the overall success of the conference.
“I have learned how truly blessed I am to come from such a close-knit community in the Mariana Islands, and the support I continue to receive from them, even if they are across the world from me. I hope to one day expand 4-H on all three islands and inspire the youth to take their voices and education further to later bring it back home and shape the CNMI into a better place for all generations to come,” stated Surla.
The conference took place on the same dates that Super Typhoon Sinlaku was making landfall over Tinian and Saipan. While representing the CNMI halfway across the world, the delegates persisted through the uncertainty of what was occurring back home.
“In daylight, I fought to represent our islands within the walls of [Washington] D.C.; at night, I was a child on the phone, making sure my family and friends made it through Super Typhoon Sinlaku. Through bringing my perspective to the table in D.C., I wanted to ensure our community’s current struggle becomes a documented part of the American story that is never forgotten,” stated Jeongbin “Celine” Park.
“True leadership was shown by the youth who stepped forward to represent their fellow youth amid the uncertainty of Sinlaku. Even as their community was still finding stability, they chose to fully engage in the conference, carrying the voices, hopes, and resilience of their peers and schools,” stated Family, Community, and Youth Development State/Territory Program Leader Tayna Belyeu-Camacho.
The National 4-H Conference is an annual event that convenes all 4-H members from across the country to collaborate, network, and engage in professional development. 4-H members are referred to as youth delegates, playing an active role in advocating national issues at the federal level.
