Twenty-one-year-old Ashley Marie G. Sikayun, a resident of Chalan Kanoa, is a junior student majoring in elementary education while Roxanne A. Ferrer of Susupe is a 20-year-old freshman majoring in business administration.
They received the checks during a brief presentation at the First Hawaiian Bank in Gualo Rai yesterday.
Glimpses Publications publisher Maureen N. Maratita said this is the third year they had conducted the program, and this time they had the most number of scholarship recipients.
“We have received many applications and we could only hope to award more students in the future,” she said.
She said they will be holding a separate presentation of scholarship checks for seven recipients from the University of Guam and Guam Community College at the First Hawaiian Bank Maite Banking Center at 9 a.m. today.
The scholarship prize money awarded this year reached $25,600.
Laura-Lynn V. Dacanay, First Hawaiian Bank senior vice president and region manager for Guam and the CNMI, said they are looking forward to more fruitful years of partnership with Glimpses in encouraging students to become successful business people.
She said the applicants for the Businesswoman of the Year scholarship program were judged on grades, involvement in the community and potential to become successful business people.
She said they would like to see more women to be successful in the business world.
On April 26, 2008, Julienne Rose Perez Duenas, a physical therapist and owner/clinical director of Sports, Orthopedic and Active Rehabilitation, was awarded the third annual Businesswoman of the Year by First Hawaiian Bank and Guam Business.
This Maga’haga — the Chamorro term for princess — Award recognizes businesswomen who have made a difference and have “raised the bar” in the field in which they are involved.
The scholarship funds came from proceeds of the awards gala, with the University of Guam, Guam Community College and Northern Marianas College as recipients.
NMC President Carmen Fernandez said they were very proud of the two students.
For Sikayun and Ferrer, getting the award was no easy task.
“We had to write an essay on issues of the challenges women face in the business community and what they could do about it,” Sikayun said.
Ferrer said they had to submit and comply with so many requirements but all the efforts paid off when they were informed that they got the scholarships. The two said they are interested to get into business someday.
