(NMC) — Democratic Rep. Sheila Jack Babauta of Precinct 4 will be the keynote speaker for Northern Marianas College’s 41st Commencement Exercises on May 20, 2022.
It was the graduating Class of 2022 that selected Babauta.
“The class of 2022 nominated Rep. Sheila Babauta as so many of us have been inspired by her work within our community,” Class of 2022 representative Alyssa Attao said. “She has done amazing things to represent the CNMI both locally and nationally, which has instilled a sense of pride and belonging for many of us.”
Babauta was part of the Obama Foundation’s leadership program in the Asia-Pacific region in 2020, and is an Environmental Justice Movement fellow at the Tishman Environment and Design Center at The New School in New York.
As a member of the 22nd CNMI Legislature, Babauta is the chairwoman of the House Natural Resources Committee, and a member of the Health and Welfare, Education and Workforce, and Ways and Means committees. She also serves as floor leader of the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation.
She is the chairwoman for the Friends of the Marianas Trench, the secretary for Our Commonwealth 670, and was a member of the “It Takes Roots” delegation in Glasgow, Scotland.
Babauta is a community college alumni as she graduated from Kapi’olani Community College in Hawaii with an associate of arts in liberal arts before transferring to the University of Hawaii at Manoa to obtain a bachelor of business administration in finance and international business.
NMC President Galvin Deleon Guerrero said the Class of 2022 class made an outstanding choice for their keynote speaker.
“Rep. Sheila Babauta is an inspiring voice for a new generation of leaders focused on sustainability and stewardship,” Deleon Guerrero said. “We look forward to amplifying her voice at this year’s graduation.”
She will speak to one of the college’s largest graduating classes with more than 300 students. This year’s ceremony will take place at the Koblerville gymnasium at 4 p.m.
It will be livestreamed on the college’s Facebook page at facebook.com/NMC.Proa
For more information, visit www.marianas.edu
Sheila Babauta
