The 21 students who completed the Public School System-Guam Marianas Training Center Nursing Assistant Program show their certificates on Aug. 10, 2023 at Saipan World Resort. Also in photo are Commissioner of Education Dr. Alfred B. Ada, PSS-Career Technical and Education Program Director Dr. Jessica B. Taylor, GMTC President Fe Valencia-Ovalles, GMTC Executive Director Frankie L. Lake, Board of Education Vice Chairman Herman Atalig, Rita H. Inos Jr.-Sr. High School Acting Principal Annette Calvo, Tinian Jr.-Sr. High School Principal Lizbeth Perzinski, Special Assistant to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. CEO Janet Guerrero and Saipan Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kimberly Camacho. Clinical instructors and instructors also honored the students.
The 21 students who completed the Public School System-Guam Marianas Training Center Nursing Assistant Program sing the national anthem: Saim Ali (Tinian Jr.-Sr. High School), John L. Apit (Marianas High School), Kevin Bao (Mount Carmel School), Elizah Mae Canlas (Marianas High School), Serin Chung (Saipan International School), Jezreel Drilon (MHS), Joann Garcia (SSHS), Freya D. Greathouse (Dr. Rita H. Inos Jr.-Sr. High School), Xinwen Jin (MCS), Siena Lazaro (TJSHS), Kyla Charylle S. Macabanti (Northern Marianas College), Jamille Pangelinan (NMC), Kaeli Pathil (MHS), Joshua Revillame (MHS), Guillermina R. San Nicolas (TJSHS), Daryl Santiago (MHS), Kelvin Shrestha (TJSHS), Joana Nicole Signio (NMC), Elizah Mae Valdez (MHS), Bea Carmela Villafuerte (NMC), and Maria K. Cristobal (MHS).
TWENTY-ONE public and private school students completed a month-long certified nursing assistant or CNA program on Aug. 10 at Saipan World Resort.
The program is an initiative of the Public School System in partnership with the Guam Marianas Training Center under the PSS Career Technical and Education Program, which is funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
The 21 students can now take the CNA licensure examination scheduled for October. If they pass, they can work at the local hospital or any medical facility in the CNMI.
The training they received can also be credited if they pursue a college degree related to the medical field.
The students who completed the training are Saim Ali (Tinian Jr.-Sr. High School), John L. Apit (Marianas High School), Kevin Bao (Mount Carmel School), Elizah Mae Canlas (Marianas High School), Serin Chung (Saipan International School), Jezreel Drilon (MHS), Joann Garcia (Saipan Southern High School), Freya D. Greathouse (Dr. Rita H. Inos Jr.-Sr. High School), Xinwen Jin (MCS), Siena Lazaro (TJSHS), Kyla Charylle S. Macabanti (Northern Marianas College), Jamille Pangelinan (NMC), Kaeli Pathil (MHS), Joshua Revillame (MHS), Guillermina R. San Nicolas (TJSHS), Daryl Santiago (MHS), Kelvin Shrestha (TJSHS), Joana Nicole Signio (NMC), Elizah Mae Valdez (MHS), Bea Carmela Villafuerte (NMC), and Maria K. Cristobal (MHS).
They are the third cohort of the program, which was launched by Commissioner of Education Dr. Alfred B. Ada and CTE Program Director Dr. Jessica B. Taylor in the summer of 2020.
Its goal is to create an additional career/workforce pathway for local students.
Joining the students and their families during a ceremony at the Royal Taga Hall of Saipan World Resort were Commissioner Ada, Dr. Taylor, GMTC President Fe Valencia-Ovalles, GMTC Executive Director Frankie L. Lake, Board of Education Vice Chairman Herman Atalig, RHIJSHS Acting Principal Annette Calvo, and TJSHS Principal Lizbeth Perzinski.
The Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation was represented by Janet Guerrero, special assistant to the chief executive officer, while the private sector was represented by Saipan Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kimberly Camacho.
PSS and GMTC officials acknowledged and commended the students’ highly trained CNA clinical instructors. They are Maria Lovella Monderin-Aure, Marko Catindig-Malabanan, Jezreel Santo, Clarize Villanueva, Joselita Lazaro, Maria Louise Atrero and Vivian Concepcion.
The tuition-free program began on June 20. Students were also provided with scrub suits, stethoscopes, as well as stipends/allowances and free meals.
Big deal
Speaking on behalf of his peers, Saim Ali said: “Having a certain certification in a specific field of work is quite a big deal for most people. There are so many opportunities being provided by many programs in the CNMI that sometimes I question why one might not take advantage of them.”
Ali is the Class of 2023 salutatorian of Tinian Jr.-Sr. High School.
“After graduating from high school, I became interested in healthcare because nurses are in demand in the CNMI. I decided to enroll in the PSS Certified Nursing Assistant Program to gain experience in the medical profession,” he said.
“Increasing the number of qualified healthcare professionals in our community will ensure that there is sufficient workforce to address the healthcare demand of our community,” Ali added.
Another student, Bea Carmela Villafuerte, said two months ago she “was a bored girl who had just finished her first year of college.”
“I did nothing but wake up, eat, and sleep… (and) to be honest with you, the only reason why I joined this program was to keep myself busy. However, now I consider myself fortunate for being able to learn a lot…not only about the things I need to know about this profession but also how to become a better person,” Villafuerte said.
She said her nursing assistant program experience “involved more than just executing clinical duties.”
“Being present, sympathetic, and a source of consolation is key. We had the honor of seeing the strength of the human spirit in the face of difficulty,” Villafuerte added.
