Jessica Brow, associate director for the Junior Statesmen Summer Program, said the deadline for applications is March 6.
“I am encouraging top students in grades 10 and 11 from CNMI schools to grab this opportunity of a lifetime,” said Brow, who was one of the guests at the Rotary Club Meeting at the Hyatt Regency Saipan yesterday.
Brow said for the past 18 years, a total of 350 students from the CNMI have attended the Junior Statesmen Summer School, 338 from Guam, and 164 from Palau.
She said admission to the summer school is competitive, and the decisions are based on the applicant’s academic achievement, leadership and interest in politics or government.
“We had 13 scholars last year, picked out of over 25 applications. We usually choose students who get ‘A’ grades in English and social sciences,” Brow said.
She will be on island until Saturday and will be visiting schools on Saipan for the next few days. She will visit Tinian on Thursday.
Brow said the summer school students take college level courses in American government and speech while they develop and polish their leadership skills.
She added that students also get a chance to meet and talk with U.S. legislators, judges, reporters, political campaign consultants, and other officials in the political arena.
The scholarships cover all tuition costs, academic expenses, housing and meals for the month, and round trip transportation to the summer school or university of the student’s choice.
Three summer sessions are being conducted at Stanford University near San Francisco, Princeton near New York, Yale in New Haven, and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Tuition cost at Princeton is $4,695 and $4,395 at Yale and Stanford. Transportation to the school is not included in the tuition.
To apply, students must submit a copy of their high school grades, a three-page personal essay and a recommendation letter from a counselor or teacher.
Brow said students can check with their principals, guidance counselors or visit the Office of Insular Affairs for applications.
