She was one of the 115 promoted during Thursday’s “Student Achievement Ceremony 6th Cycle” at the Northern Marianas Trades Institute in Lower Base.
“I just want to keep myself busy. And I like sewing,” she said.
Joseph Diaz Sablan Jr., president of the culinary arts level III class, said the institute “is the answer to the CNMI’s current problems with regards to federal immigration and the issues concerning guest workers.”
Sablan said the CNMI needs more locals with trade skills to prepare for the future.
The institute’s president Anthony Pellegrino acknowledged the support of the community, private organizations and Congressman Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan who earmarked $200,000 in this fiscal year for the institute.
Congressman Sablan, who was one of the guest speakers, said the fund is for the institute’s teachers, training manuals and tools.
“That money is for whatever you need at the institute to help you get the skills you need to improve your life, make a better life for your family, and ultimately make a better life for all of us living here in the commonwealth,” he said.
The CNMI, he added, doesn’t have a lot of natural resources but it has “human resources.”
“We have to encourage our people to keep learning new skills. And we have to support them and give them the tools they need to improve themselves,” he said.
He told students that they made a smart choice not just for themselves but for the commonwealth as well.
“That is the way to get us out of these tough times,” the congressman said.
Ross Manglona, acting dean of Northern Marianas College’s community programs and services, said NMC is committed to continue providing assistance to the institute.
He said NMC interim president Lorraine Cabrera considers the institute as a “big partner of the college.”
Since the local minimum wage has been gradually increased, trade skills are now being appreciated, Manglona said.
Other guests in the ceremony were Reps. Eliceo D. Cabrera, Antonio P. Sablan, Stanley T. Torres, Vice Speaker Felicidad T. Ogumoro and Labor Deputy Secretary Cinta M. Kaipat.
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