D’anahlei Rodriguez and Juneya Quitano
(Northern Marianas Humanities Council) — D’anahlei Rodriguez and Juneya Quitano of Kagman High School bagged first place in the 2022 Valentine N. Sengebau Competition’s Senior Division on Oct. 25 at the American Memorial Park Visitor Center Theater. Rodriguez and Quitano, both Seniors at Kagman High School, performed as a du) an original poem they composed, titled Woven Within.
“Winning first place was like achieving another milestone because it gave us the voice to represent our native people,” said D’anahlei Rodriguez to express what winning the competition meant to her.
Yu Rong Jiang
Yu Rong Jiang, a student from Francisco M. Sablan Middle School took first place in the Junior Division in her recital of Valentine N. Sengebau’s poem titled, Searching.
Last year’s victor, now a senior at Mt. Carmel School, Jill Anne Mallari secured second place. Mallari performed her original poem, Ode to Home. In third place for senior division was Jude Litulumar, a senior from Kagman High School performing his original poem, Divided, sharing his personal view on cultural identity.
Third place in the junior division was 8th-grade Hopwood Middle School student Seano Pangilinan who performed Time of Consciousness by Sengebau. Second place 8th-grade Francisco M. Sablan Middle School student Gian Antonio opened the competition with his recital of I Hear the Message.
The competition is an annual event hosted by the Northern Marianas Humanities Council. Senior division competitors are judged on two categories: content material of their original poem and recital. Competitors in the junior division recited poems composed by Valentine N. Sengebau that were published in a 2004 anthology, titled Microchild.
The Valentine N. Sengebau Poetry Competition aims to promote an appreciation for poetry that captures expressions of our diverse experiences and values as they relate to culture, identity, and change. Through this event, we hope to strengthen our contestants’ literacy and oratory skills. The competition is open to all middle school and high school students and is held annually in October, CNMI Humanities Month.
Judges for the competition this year were Northern Marianas College Professor Adam Walsh, social media sensation Antonette “Netty Cee” Castro, previous Sengebau competition winner Beda Mundo, and English/Language Arts educators Zeno Deleon Guerrero and Loremel Hocog.
