Juanette “Nette” Villagomez and Leischeng “Lei” Saures pose for a photo before performing at Walmart’s home office.
SAIPAN-BORN Juanette “Nette” Villagomez and Leischeng “Lei” Saures took their Chamorro-Carolinian roots to a new level by winning the 2024 Walmart Associate Talent Search.
The aunt-niece duo, after winning, were invited to Walmart’s annual shareholders event in June to perform alongside internationally recognized artists such as Lizzo, Jennifer Hudson, Natasha Beddingfield, Usher, the Backstreet Boys, Imagine Dragons and many more. Peyton Manning hosted the event.
A proud member of Marianas High School’s Class of 2007, Villagomez studied for a year at Northern Marianas College before moving to Hawaii and then to Texas in 2009.
The Lone Star State “has been home ever since,” she added.
A digital associate at Walmart, Saures said she came from a family of musicians.
“My love for music started at a young age. From singing with my family members like my grandfather Vicente Saures, who was in the band called Serenaders. My grandmother, Marsha Saures, was in the band called Mommas. My father, uncles, and aunties were in the band called Junior Serenaders. We were members of the Saint Jude Church choir that was coordinated by my grandmother and grandfather. My life has been heavily influenced by my family, which makes my love for music even stronger,” Saures said.
“My parents are Alingmal Saures and Carleen Saures. We moved to Texas in 2011, in hopes of better opportunities. My father was the last of his siblings to move to the mainland United States,” she added.
Villagomez said she is an academy coach at Walmart, where she has been employed for the past 10 years.
“Every year, Walmart holds a talent competition. The winners are selected by a panel of judges, and then they perform at Walmart’s Annual Shareholders Event,” Villagomez said.
“2023 was a rough year for me in various aspects,” she added. “The tip of the iceberg though was when I tragically and suddenly lost a friend of mine. I took and learned a lot from my struggles and her loss. So, before the year ended, I promised myself that 2024 would be my year; I would get things back on track and have a better and happier year,” Villagomez said.
“That is what pushed me to join the competition this year with my niece, Leischeng. I didn’t want to do this alone, and if people don’t know, my niece is also very talented. I knew this would be good exposure for her as well.”
The two Saipan daughters submitted a video of their rendition of The Eagles’ “Love Will Keep Us Alive.” (https://shorturl.at/kM4il)
They chose the song “because we believe that no matter what, love always wins and love conquers all.”
Villagomez and Saures made it to the semi-finals.
“The last stage, which was the voting stage, we took to social media to seek help from our family and friends to help us take the win home for our market,” Villagomez added.
Afterward, “we were invited to the Walmart Home Office by the Asian Pacific Associates Network to perform and close out the Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month celebration.”
“There,” Villagomez said, “we performed a medley of ‘Making Marianas Again’ and ‘Hafa Adai.’ This invitation was a blessing not just because we got to showcase our talent, but more importantly, we got to showcase our Chamorro-Refaluwasch (Carolinian) cultures.”
Entering the talent show was an opportunity that could not be missed, Saures said.
Quoting her aunt, “Tomorrow is not promised, so we should make the most of today and try new things.”
Saures said the “process was fun, and we had a lot of bloopers. But when we got to Arkansas (for Walmart’s shareholders event) we never knew just how much of an experience we’d have. From performing on the same stage with Jennifer Hudson, Lizzo, Imagine Dragons, the Backstreet Boys, and more, to meeting new people and forming new relationships with them. We’d never expected to experience so much in one week. It wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our families and friends.”
She added, “Though many miles away from my homeland, I am honored to represent and showcase my Chamolinian roots.”
According to Villagomez, “The love and support that we have received from our family and friends all over the world have been amazing and we are immensely blessed. Thank you to our families and friends who shared our videos, voted for us, or sent us best wishes. We appreciate and love you all!”
