MYPros names 4 nominees of ‘Spotlight Award’

The Marianas Young Professionals, or MYPros, named yesterday the four nominees of this year’s Spotlight Award.

The awardee, together with the Young Professional of the Year and Volunteer of the Year, would be named and honored on July 22, when the group hosts its “White Sand Gala” at the Surf Club in Chalan Kanoa. The occasion also marks the group’s second anniversary.

The nominees for this year’s Spotlight Award are Sheila Babauta, Alfreda Camacho, Bill Ripple, and Manny Borja.

MYPros celebrated Young Professionals Week from June 26 to June 30, during which details about the awards were announced.

SHEILA BABAUTA

As a native of Saipan, Babauta always knew she would return home after college.

After graduating from Kagman High School a year early, she attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa at 17, focusing on Finance and International Business. During that time, Sheila volunteered with the deaf community, tutored math at the local college, and worked to spread awareness of the drug epidemic as part of the Hawaii Meth Project. She completed two internships with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and UMEE Honolulu, and was inducted to three honor societies: Golden Key International HS, Phi Theta Kappa HS, and Beta Gamma Sigma International HS before graduating with honors in 2011.

Babauta relocated to Seattle to begin a career in Financial Management with Raymond James Financial Services. While there, she continued volunteering at the local food bank and church day care and started her own business, Kaling’s Kitchen, where she shared her delicious coconut bread (titiyas) in the Pacific Northwest. Kaling’s Kitchen participated in events such as the 2015 CNMI Labor Day Tournament, 2015 Seattle FoodBiz, and 2015 Seattle Shorts Film Festival.

After being away from home for nearly a decade, Babauta returned home in 2016. She is now employed with the CNMI government as the contracting officer’s technical representative under the Capital Improvement Program. In her role, she oversees contractual agreements and grant management for major projects such as the Gov. Eloy S. Inos Peace Park, Kalabera Cave Improvement, and Garapan Water Quality Restoration and Pavement.

She continues to give back to her community. Babauta serves on the MYPros board as a director. In this role, she co-planned the MYPros March for H.E.R.S. during Women’s Month and the Backpack Beach Cleanup at Forbidden Island for Environmental Awareness Month. Additionally, she has been an active participant in Zoning hearings, volunteers for the CNMI Homelessness Coalition Count, and is a member of the Talaabwogh Star Association, supporting their participation in the 2017 Marianas March Against Cancer and CNMI Little League Association.

It has been almost a year since Babauta returned home. She enjoys exploring the island, nourishing her relationships with family and friends, and reading books on self-development. She believes there is still more she can contribute to her community.

ALFREDA CAMACHO

Camacho serves on Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ Cabinet as a special assistant for Public Transportation under the Executive Branch of the CNMI government. She has been with the agency since July 6, 2015. She is a recent graduate of the inaugural class of the Pacific Century Fellows-Marianas Chapter in 2014 mentored by former Honolulu mayor Muliufi Hannemann.

Camacho recently completed the U.S. Graduate School’s highly competitive Executive Development Leadership Program, which is “designed to groom exceptionally qualified and skilled government public servants” in Honolulu, Hawaii in June of 2015.

She is a member of MYPros and currently sits as vice chair of the Tsunami Saipan Swim Club.

Camacho attended high school at Grace Christian Academy on Saipan and attained her degrees in Human Resource Management and Business Administration with a minor in Psychology from Portland State University, Portland, Oregon.

In her spare time, Camacho volunteers for swim meet competitions as an official timekeeper, assisting with community events (5K runs, golf tournaments, etc.), and volunteering her time teaching children English as a Second Language.

Raised by her mother, a Samoan native, and father, a Chamorro native, on Saipan and mother to an 11-year-old son, Camacho’s passion hones in on transparent and effective servant leadership alongside public service to help better serve her island.

BILL RIPPLE

After graduating from Mount Carmel High School in 2004, Ripple attended the Northern Marianas College and Hawaii Pacific University before receiving his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from San Jose State University in 2009. He subsequently attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa and obtained a master’s degree in Civil Engineering (with a geotechnical concentration) in 2011.

During Ripple’s undergraduate and graduate school breaks, he returned to the Marianas for internships at several engineering firms. Before he returned home in 2013, he worked at Yogi Kwong Engineers, LLC, in Honolulu as a geotechnical engineer, the University of Hawaii at Manoa as a research and teaching assistant, and URS Corp. in San Jose, Calif., as an environmental engineer.

Since his return, Ripple acquired his license as a professional engineer in the CNMI and California while serving in different capacities. Most recently, he was the chief highway engineer at the CNMI Department of Public Works, where he oversaw the Federal Highway Administration program and assisted in the implementation of improvements to the public infrastructure. Ripple was also a project manager at Hofschneider Engineering, during which he managed public and private engineering projects.

Last year, Ripple started his own engineering firm, Marianas Geotech Services, LLC, to provide specialized services in geotechnical engineering and construction materials testing to the CNMI in response to the recent boom in the construction industry. Since starting MGS, he has had the opportunity to work on new developments, both in the public and private sectors. In the process, Ripple has focused on promoting the training and employment of individuals from the CNMI, and employed three full-time staff supporting MGS’ operations and a summer intern currently pursuing a civil engineering degree.

Ripple says he’s fortunate to have had the opportunity to encourage high school students, along with other colleagues, to pursue a career in engineering and return to the CNMI to contribute their talents—imperative to the continued growth and sustainability of our Marianas.

MANNY BORJA

Borja graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering. He returned to the CNMI and began work for the Division of Environmental Quality as a regulatory engineer specializing in erosion control and solid waste management. At DEQ, with the Earthmoving and Erosion Control Branch, he worked to improve compliance of construction project stormwater management controls by teaching stormwater workshops to local engineers and contractors, covering the scientific principles of erosion and sediment control. The end goal of the training was to reduce sedimentation, ultimately protecting our island’s oceans and coral reefs. Borja is currently employed part-time at Hofschneider Engineering Corp., where he uses his environmental background to aid in the design of environmentally responsible infrastructure.

In 2016, Borja started his own company, STEMed CNMI, with the intent of promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and careers to the students of the CNMI. Still in its infancy, the company works with schools and individual students to increase access to AP courses, advanced math tutoring, and SAT prep. Borja hopes his company’s work will open new doors for the youth of the CNMI in technical fields that have been underrepresented in past years.

Outside of work, Borja volunteers with the Marianas March Against Cancer, where he has served as overall chairperson for two years and treasurer for six years. He has been an administrator for the CNMI Math Court for seven years, wearing several hats as a test writer, scoring administrator, webmaster, and head coach for Team CNMI, which competes annually in the U.S. mainland.

Borja enjoys dancing and has also volunteered as a choreography director with Stellar Marianas for two years, choreographing dance numbers that were performed by the contestants of the Miss Marianas Teen and the Miss Marianas pageants. He also choreographed a flash mob for DEQ’s “Our Laolao” social marketing campaign, aimed at inspiring communities to keep Lau Lau Bay litter free. Borja can be seen dancing in his car while stopped at red lights throughout the island.

The MYPros’ “White Sand Gala” is open to all and $40 tickets to next Saturday’s event are still available for purchase from any of their events committee members. Email them at mypros.670@gmail.com or visit them on www.facebook.com/mypros670 for more information. (PR)