$6,258 awarded to 4 NMC students

First Hawaiian Bank and Guam Business magazine presented the Businesswoman of the Year and Matson Navigation Co. scholarships to four students of the Northern Marianas College yesterday at the NMC campus in As Terlaje.

Maureen Maratita, publisher of Glimpses Publications, which includes the Guam Business magazine, said the number of scholarship recipients depends on the number of applicants.

Although this year’s number of scholars did not surpass the number of scholarships that were presented last year, Maratita hopes that even more would be eligible for the scholarship next year.

Maratita also urged those who have already been awarded the scholarships to apply again.

“Any student can apply more than once, so as long as the conditions of the scholarship are met, we are very happy to support more than once,” she said.

Third time recipient Roy Alegre, a Business Management student, received a scholarship amounting to $1,799. Another third time recipient, Jasmine Che, a Business student, received a scholarship of $1,533. First time recipient Marchie Fernandez, a freshman Business Management student, received $1,789, while another first time recipient, Vicorylie Quijano, an Accounting/Business Management student, received $1,148.

Fernandez hopes other students like her will get an opportunity to study through scholarships.

“I just wish more students know about this, so that it could also help them get a degree,” she said.

Scholarship recipients were selected based on their total number of credit hours enrolled for the semester, grade point average, involvement in the community and potential for success in business. All applicants were required to submit a written essay and evidence of financial need. Each of the recipients has a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Applications were open to full-time and part-time students of the three educational institutions.

A total of $26,948 in scholarships were awarded to 11 students—seven students from Guam and four students from Saipan.

Since 2006, the program has awarded a total of $207,377.50 in scholarships to 111 college students in Guam and Saipan. Funds for these scholarships are raised through the annual Businesswoman of the Year Gala. This year’s gala was held on April 30, 2016. In addition to raising funds for these scholarships, the annual event recognizes women who make a difference in business.

The First Hawaiian Bank and Guam Business magazine Businesswoman of the Year program provides funding for student scholarships at three higher education institutions in the Mariana Islands: University of Guam, Guam Community College, and NMC.