PCF Class of 2015 holds culmination trip in Hawaii

Pacific Century Fellows-Marianas Chapter Class of 2015 visited Pearl Harbor during their culmination trip to Hawaii last November. The class will be graduating in January. (Contributed Photo)

The four-day trip to Hawaii from Nov. 16 to 20 included a meeting and panel discussion at the East West Center where they met their Hawaii counterparts and discussed issues such as the environment, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as well as Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP.

The class also met with the chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Dr. Robert Bley-Vroman. They also visited the Honolulu Rail Transit Project, Bishop Museum, the American Red Cross-Hawaii Chapter, USS Chosin, and Matson Navigation.

Tourism and culture were also discussed by various resource persons from the Hawaii Tourism Agency, Waikiki Improvement Association, and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The tour was organized by former Honolulu mayor Mufi Hannemann, chairman and founder of PCF-Hawaii.

“It was a very informative session. Every single one of them was an excellent overview of the Hawaii economy, global issues, we talked about TPP, the global warming issues,” PCF-Marianas Chapter vice chair Alex Sablan said.

The Marianas Chapter Class of 2015 is composed of Amanda Allen, Edward Arriola Jr., Mable Ayuyu, Alex Camacho, L.J. Castro, Michael Ernest, Jonathan Liwag, Judy Mendieta, Jaclyn Mendiola, and Mark Rabauliman.

According to Castro, the trip inspired him to do better with what he is doing right now as a public information specialist as well as the founder of the non-profit organization, Simiyan I Mañaina-ta.

“I enjoyed the experience. Definitely, our counterparts in Hawaii, they have a lot of insight to what they do and it opened our eyes to try and enhance our job, what we do for the community,” Castro said.

“My favorite part was looking at how much traditional and cultural practices are used in the leadership,” he added.

For Rabauliman, the experience was an eye-opener on the similar challenges that are being encountered in Hawaii and the CNMI.

“Being from Commerce, it was an eye-opener to the inner workings of how things are decided upon, what direction needs to be taken,” Rabauliman said. “One of the visits that was very insightful was when we went to UH Manoa, how they decide what marketing strategies to fund, and what demographics, and how they’re also pushing, just like NMC, to keep our students on island.”

“We have a small island and hopefully some of the young minds that were part of this trip can come together and see how they can turn things around on our piece of paradise,” he added.

Ayuyu said among the significant experiences she had was meeting and interacting with various professional leaders.

“I think that the ‘one-on-one’ interaction I had with them will help me professionally by helping me re-evaluate how I can be a more effective leader in my work and for my family business of McDonald’s,” Ayuyu said. “I also think that my encounter with the different leaders I’ve met on this trip will help me as a person by reminding me to remain humble in all that I do. They’ve taught me to approach projects with a passion for it.”

“I’m grateful for this experience and it has given me some great ideas on how I can be a better leader for the islands I call home,” she added.

The 2015 class will be having a graduation ceremony in January.