AFTER earning my bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York, I was unsure of my next steps.
As fate would have it though, I was led back to my birthplace, Saipan, after being away for nearly two decades.
I had no clear vision of what I wanted to do. I just needed to be closer to my family. So I packed my suitcase, said goodbye to the East Coast, and spent nearly a full day traveling to my new home.
It was the fall of 2019, just mere months before a single act would change the fate of the world.
Whoever said that one person cannot change the world was clearly mistaken. It took just one person to make a dire mistake that led to the spread of a virus we now know as Covid-19.
Just a week and a half before the CNMI government shut down in light of the spread of this virus, I took a job at Marianas Variety News & Views as a junior reporter. I had zero journalism experience. None. Zilch. But I could write, so I figured, “Why not?”
My very first day on the job, I covered a House session. I had never attended a House session before. I did not know who was who, nor did I know any of the rules or the significance of legislation that was being discussed.
It was like being an inexperienced swimmer and being thrown into deep waters. You either sink or swim. All I knew was that I had a deadline and I needed to produce stories or I could kiss this job goodbye. Thankfully, I made it through my first day.
Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into a year, and now, two years later, I’m still on the beat.
I have had a number of intriguing job offers throughout my time as a junior reporter, but there is just something about Variety that has led me to stay.
After hearing various stories from my coworkers and bosses about the history of these islands and this company, I realized that there was so much more that I needed to learn, that I wanted to learn, about all of the ins and the outs of these islands.
Since joining the editorial team, I have learned countless information, things that I did not even know that I needed to know as a taxpayer, constituent, and citizen, as well as a member of the local, regional, national, and global communities.
<p class=”p1″><em>I realized then that my fascination with the news was not to satisfy a personal addiction, but to serve the community by keeping them informed.</em>
There has not been a day where I was not neck deep into the news. It has gotten to the point where I lose track of time just engulfing myself in what is going on in the islands, the region, the nation, and the world.
It almost feels like an inconvenience to have to sleep, eat, and do other normal human things. There have been a few times where, although my body was exhausted, my mind was so focused on current events.
As I am writing this, I can see how the news can take so much out of a person’s life. I remember taking vacation leave and wondering how to spend that time. I still gravitated towards the news.
I started putting together a timeline of the pandemic at the state and national levels. I realized then that my fascination with the news was not to satisfy a personal addiction, but to serve the community by keeping them informed.
My mentality has been that the more that community members are informed, the more encouraged they will each be to speak up and use their gifts to effect change.
I cannot tell you how many individuals I have met who were like me before I took this job, oblivious to what was happening within their government, the private sector, and around their community, not just locally, but also regionally, nationally, and globally.
I have met countless youth and young adults who are itching to leave the islands, because they don’t see any other viable option to survive. I remember thinking to myself, “What would it take to get people to stay? What would it take to get people to come back to the islands?”
I found myself thinking back to when I first came back to Saipan, and reflecting on my journey since then.
Walking into everything with fresh eyes, I’ve seen a lot. Sure, these islands aren’t perfect. The people aren’t perfect. The government and the private sector aren’t perfect. But there is something to be said about a community that has survived numerous disasters.
These past two years, I have covered stories in all three branches of government, the private sector, and the community, all amid the pandemic, and if there is anything that I have learned, it’s that even if the CNMI was an inexperienced swimmer thrown into deep waters, it will always find its way safely back to shore.
I can see why Variety has remained in this community for so long, becoming the islands’ oldest, most trusted, most influential, and most widely read newspaper. To be a part of something so remarkable has been one of the greatest honors of my life.
