The students who completed the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse and Twice-Exceptional Students Achieving and Matriculating in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math program pose for a photo with 500 Sails’ Sakman Mario Borja, Marianas High School Special Education teacher Cynthia Ferrari, and Public School System Career and Technical Education Program Director Jessica Taylor during the awarding ceremony at the Pacific Islands Club’s Charley Cabaret on Saturday.
Photo by Emmanuel T. Erediano
TWENTY high school students on Saturday received awards for completing 129 hours of academic work and internships for the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse and Twice-Exceptional Students Achieving and Matriculating in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math or CLD TEAMS program.
They are the first batch of participants in the program, which will continue for another two years.
A project of the University of Hawaii, the CLD TEAMS program aims to support high school students in entering post-secondary STEM fields through a culturally responsive, strength- and work-based enrichment model.
The students who received awards during the year-end ceremony at the Pacific Islands Club’s Charley’s Cabaret were Marc Pizuelo, Ritshelle Dela Cruz, Ashley Corpuz, Isaa Nishifari, Jayden Reyes, JC Cataina, Jhaylin Cruz, Arven Mangulabnan, Jaden Pangelinan, Keliv Lumbana, Josephine Lizama, Maria Taniegra, Mikaela Lobo, Paula Bernardo, Pauline Padiernos, Prince Calvo, Taise Fukuya, Trinton Yanto, Rafael Sarmiento, and Rhihana Sarmiento.
Marianas High School Special Education teacher Cynthia Ferrari, one of the program coordinators, recognized the students’ hard work, the dedication of mentors, and the continued support from parents and families. She said the CLD TEAMS program has been “an incredible journey for our students. They’ve learned, explored, and gained experiences that will help shape their future.”
The awarding ceremony, which was followed by orientation for new students, Ferrari said, was about celebrating milestones, sharing achievements, and giving thanks to everyone who made the program possible.
In an interview, Ferrari said the 2024–2025 school year marked the initial implementation of CLD TEAMS. In addition to preparing students for the transition to college, the program also bridges island culture with STEM learning. During the program, participating students interned with 500 Sails and the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance.
Ferrari explained that CLD TEAMS is funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant awarded to the University of Hawaii, with the CNMI serving as a sub-recipient. She said the partnership with UH began eight years ago with Project TEAMS, a five-year research project also funded by the U.S. Department of Education aimed at identifying twice-exceptional students — those with disabilities who also have exceptional potential in science — and helping them succeed in STEM and pursue college programs.
After Project TEAMS concluded, UH received another grant for CLD TEAMS, which extended its implementation to the CNMI.
Sakman Mario Borja of 500 Sails was the guest speaker at the awarding ceremony. He emphasized that culture is central to everything on the island. “Math,” he said, “is not something that happened only in Europe. It happens here, in the Pacific, too.”
Borja explained that Pacific Islanders historically applied mathematics in learning how to navigate, farm, fish, and build canoes. “How to fish, how to build canoes — those are mathematics. STEM has always been part of Pacific Islanders’ growing-up culture,” he said.
Public School System-Career and Technical Education Program Director Jessica Taylor, Ed.D., welcomed students to the year-end ceremony. She said the project demonstrates “what can be accomplished when schools, universities, families, and communities work together with a shared purpose.”
Taylor added that through collaboration among UH, PSS, and dedicated organizations and professionals, “we have created opportunities for culturally and linguistically diverse students, including twice-exceptional learners, to explore, grow, and envision their future in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”
