Help needed for SAT preparatory program

I am writing because I need the help of our public and private citizens and businesses alike to help me in my quest to jumpstart my SAT preparatory program this holiday for the benefit of our high school students in the CNMI for FREE. To those of you unfamiliar with the SAT, it is a test that is administered for college admissions to selective postsecondary institutions. Most of the high school students here in the CNMI do not take this test until they get to their senior year and a lot get shocked by its intensity, especially when taking it for the first time. The SAT is a major part of any college applicant’s admissions package.

I solicited the help of Senator Fernandez from Guam who initiated this program just this past summer in Guam through the assistance of a very bright young lady, Ms. Jennifer Balakrishnan from Guam. Jennifer scored perfectly on her SATs and is presently a Harvard student who ranks in the top 5 percent of her class. This young lady is an extraordinary scholar at Harvard whose GPA is 3.8 on a scale of 4.0 and is a candidate for an A.B./A.M. with honors in Mathematics and citation in Japanese and French in June 2006.

Senator Fernandez, Jennifer, and I have been communicating about the possibility of them coming to Saipan to jumpstart this program and they are very excited about it. I strongly believe that this program is needed here in the Commonwealth and based on my contacts with the various schools islandwide, an overwhelming interest from both the public and the private schools; roughly over 70 students have signed up and I’m still counting. Our high school students are very excited and are committed to sacrificing part of their holiday break to attend this program. I think this shows that they have a desire to learn and want to make a difference in their lives. Now, it is our responsibility to give them the tools necessary for their success.

However, my predicament at this point is the transportation expense for Ms. Balakrishnan from Boston to Saipan, which will cost roughly $2,300. I need to secure her airline transportation as soon as possible to bring this project into gear. Other food and lodging expenses will roughly cost about $2,000 and I hope that our local hotels out there who might be reading my letter will open their hearts this Christmas and give the gift of hope in empowering our youths with this opportunity for advancements in their lives. It is my belief that as members of the community it’s crucial that we help our youths in developing their skills because only then will we realize that we have done our very best to help them succeed in life. I, alone cannot do this, but one thing is clear: together, we can make a big difference.

Therefore, I humbly ask for your favorable consideration in my above request as soon as possible as time is of the essence. If this plan is to move forward, I need to respond to Jennifer on or before Friday, Nov. 19, 2004.

If you would like to speak to me personally, please call me after 4pm at 235-5465 or send me an email at roselle_d_ calvo@hotmail or you may contact my mom, MaryAnn at 664-8967/8 for more information. Thank you very much for your time.

Roselle D. Calvo
Senator
7th CNMI Youth Congress