By Bryan Manabat
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
KAGMAN High School teacher Elizabeth Basa and sophomore Cyrena Ada have been selected to represent the CNMI as one of 28 teacher‑student teams nationwide chosen for the Young People’s Continental Congress, a civic‑education program organized by National History Day and Carpenter’s Hall. All delegates participate and travel free of charge through YPCC.
The teams will convene in Philadelphia this July, shortly after the nation marks its 250th anniversary, to study the country’s founding era “in the room where it happened” and draft a joint declaration on the future of American democracy. Online training with historians begins this spring.
Basa said she learned about the opportunity through school administration. “I shared it with Cyrena, and she was immediately interested, which made it even more exciting for us to take this on together,” she said.
Ada said the application process required both interest and initiative. “I had to write an essay explaining why I wanted to join and share my interest in history,” she said. Basa also submitted written statements, including one explaining why she selected Ada. “That essay was easy to write because, as soon as I learned it was a teacher‑student program, Cyrena immediately came to mind,” Basa said.
Both applied after a vice principal shared the program information. “As soon as I saw it, I knew it was an incredible opportunity we couldn’t pass up,” Basa said.
Ada said being chosen to represent the CNMI is a source of pride. “Personally, I feel proud of Ms. Basa and myself,” she said. “Out of all the teachers and students in the islands, we are the ones who get to go out and represent our home.”
Basa echoed that sentiment. “It is an incredible honor to be selected as one of the 28 teams participating in the Young People’s Continental Congress, and an even greater honor to represent the CNMI alongside such an amazing student,” she said. “I’m excited to share our history and ensure our voices are part of these meaningful discussions.”
For Ada, the academic value is just as meaningful. “History has been one of my favorite subjects ever since middle school, so getting to learn more up close and personal from its origins really means the world to me,” she said.
Basa, now in her fourth year at KHS, said the program will strengthen her classroom work. “Academically, I value the chance to deepen my understanding of U.S. history. I also hope to examine how the founding era continues to shape both the nation and our civic life here in the CNMI,” she said.
Ada is a sophomore who enjoys golf, ping pong, and spending time with friends, and is striving for straight A’s through graduation. Basa teaches senior English and a college‑and‑career course and plays softball with Lady Sufa and soccer with the Latte Football Club.
Basa was also recently named Kagman High School’s 2026 Teacher of the Year and a top‑five finalist for CNMI Teacher of the Year. “I love representing our school and putting KHS on the map,” she said. “Time to do that in the mainland this summer.”
About the program
The Young People’s Continental Congress brings together teacher-student teams nationwide to explore the nation’s founding era and draft a modern declaration on the future of American democracy. It is organized by National History Day and Carpenter’s Hall, the Philadelphia landmark where the First Continental Congress met in 1774.
Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
