CNMI Scholarship and Financial Assistance Board of Directors Chair Donna Flores, third from left, poses for a photo with office staff next to their new signboard on Capital Hill.
Photo by Emmanuel T. Erediano
ON Thursday, the staff of the CNMI Scholarship and Financial Assistance Office unveiled their new signboard, reflecting the office’s purpose and function.
Formerly known as the CNMI Scholarship Office and located on Capital Hill, the office was given its new name through Public Law 24-10.
Authored by House Floor Leader Marissa Flores and signed by Gov. David M. Apatang on Aug. 5, 2025, P.L. 24-10 was a legislative response to the CNMI Scholarship Board of Directors’ decision to change the office’s name to better reflect the full scope of its services. These services include, but are not limited to, administering higher education financial assistance programs — “which necessarily includes the power to address matters related to delinquent or defaulted financial assistance agreements, and other responsibilities necessary to carry out the office’s mission.”
The board’s chair, Public School System-Special Education Director Donna Flores, thanked the governor and legislators for supporting the measure. She said the new name allows the office to operate with confidence and assure clients that it can provide financial assistance while ensuring compliance with the terms of the memorandum of agreement with recipients.
“In our view, it is important for the board and the office to have a name that aligns who we are with what we do,” Flores said. “Over the years, the office was simply known as the Scholarship Office. However, we also provide other opportunities, such as graduate loans and a student loan program. We just want our office name to reflect the services we offer to eligible recipients.”
Flores added that the conversation about renaming the office had not occurred for several years. “Thankfully, the board, which I chair, recognized the necessity of making this alignment because we are in a capacity to offer financial opportunities to those attending post-secondary schools,” she said.
