The previous board members of SHEFA clearly stated that due to our unique scheduling of classes, we were to initially pay for our courses ourselves every semester, then submit our grades after the completion of each term as proof of our fulfillment of the SHEFA requirements. The financial award essentially became a reimbursement. Please note that this is not a practice limited to our cohort, but rather, has been the method of awarding for many of the Framingham graduates that preceded us. The process has gone as agreed, until now, that is. To date we have gratefully received a reimbursement for two semesters. However, we have yet to receive our final reimbursement for Fall 2010.
The new SHEFA board fails to understand that we are fully entitled to our reward. We met the requirements for SHEFA and fully qualified for full reimbursement for Fall 2010. Whatever changes the new board is instituting should not have any bearing on the agreement previously made as those changes do not affect the recipients for the Fall 2010 award, which include us. It is completely illogical for the new board to withhold what we rightly qualify to receive, again, as we fully met all the requirements set forth by SHEFA for that particular semester.
Please understand that some of us had to borrow from our families to remain enrolled in FSU. Others had to rely on lending institutions to finance FSU’s and NMC’s fees. We did all this with SHEFA’s assurance that we will be reimbursed. In addition to paying for undergraduate school loans and managing everyday living and family expenses, funding our course has been a struggle. In spite of this, we persevered to meet our goals for educational advancement to better educate our future generation. We did this with assurance of a financial reward from SHEFA.
Honorable Mayor, as one of our CNMI leaders, we are convinced that you support higher education and endorse upholding agreements, particularly those set forth in the SHEFA guidelines, and, being that we fully met all the requirements, will help us attain what is rightfully earned.
We are certain that you will encourage others to seek the tools for professional enhancement to better equip our children to strive in this technology-driven society and difficult economic times. However, without the resources, it will not be possible. Moreover, we hope the story of our struggle to obtain the resources will not deter others from enhancing their careers. We currently seek your assistance in clarifying our position to the SHEFA board members to disburse our last financial award reimbursement for Fall 2010. We hope that your response to our request will be most favorable.
Thank you!
JONEL ALEPUYO
LORRAINE ARRIOLA
PETER RAYMOND ARRIOLA
JODINA ATTAO
DARRAH BENAVENTE TAGABUEL
VINCENT CAMACHO JR.
ROSALINE CEPEDA
BOBBY JAMES CRUZ
TAMMY LYNN-CRUZ
LEILANI BERMUDES IRAMK
LUNA ZENA LITULUMAR
FRANCIS MENDIOLA
VALERIE MENDIOLA
ALVIN SABLAN
ANITA SABLAN
DORINA CASTRO-SALAVARIA
FREDDY SALAVARIA
LYNETTE VILLAGOMEZ
Cohort 8, Framingham
State University
