By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
HIGH school students from across the Northern Marianas and Guam will gather on Tinian this year as part of the regional Student Island Ambassador Exchange Program, which will coincide with the annual Pika Fest, CNMI municipal officials said.
Saipan Mayor Ramon “RB” Camacho said the exchange, organized through the CNMI and Guam Mayors’ Councils, began last year on Rota and was designed to strengthen cultural understanding, leadership skills, and inter-island friendships among youth.
“The students mingle, explore cultural sites, and learn about each island,” Camacho said. “Last year in Rota, they even went out at night to hunt for ‘umang.’ Some of the Guam and Saipan students had never experienced that. They built friendships, and that’s the bottom line — establishing communication and friendship across the Marianas.”
This year, Tinian will serve as host, with the visit scheduled to coincide with the annual Tinian Hot Pepper Festival, or “Pika Fest,” on Feb. 13–14. Eight students from Guam and two each from Saipan, the Northern Islands, Rota, and Tinian will participate.
Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan said the students will be housed in local homes or rental accommodations.
“They will stay in Tinian,” Aldan said. “We’re looking at homes or B&B-type rentals.”
Rota Mayor Aubry Hocog said each island uses its own selection process, but most rely on essay competitions focused on culture, community issues, and economic challenges.
“On Guam, they write essays, and that’s how their mayors select the students,” Hocog said. “On Rota, our kids submit essays about our culture and economic status. These students are ambassadors for their islands. They come together to discuss issues that affect all of them and see the differences in each island.”
Hocog said last year’s exchange opened students’ eyes to the realities of island life beyond their own.
“Guam students were shocked at how expensive things were in Rota and how we don’t have some of the facilities they have,” she said. “But they appreciated our culture, the quiet, the lack of traffic. They learned from each other.”
Aldan said the cultural immersion was one of the most meaningful parts of the program.
“On Guam, it’s hard to see the natural beauty of the forest or find traditional healers,” he said. “On Rota, they learned how to make ‘amut,’ our local medicine. That was new for many of them.”
The mayors said they hope the program continues to grow, especially as the islands face shared challenges, including the military buildup on Tinian.
“We’re happy to bring the students to Tinian so they can see firsthand the changes happening here and what it means for the neighboring islands,” Hocog said.
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.
