Castro seeks creation of CNMI Study-Abroad Scholarship

Manny Gregory Tenorio Castro

Rep. Manny Gregory Tenorio Castro (Ind-Saipan) has introduced a bill that seeks to establish a scholarship for residents attending international colleges/universities or technical education programs.

The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Education, which Castro chairs. Several other representatives co-sponsored the legislation.

House Bill 23-32 will amend the Commonwealth Code to create the CNMI Study-Abroad Scholarship. According to the legislation, its purpose is to award scholarships to students who are attending an international university/college or international technical training program to pay for costs directly related to the student’s educational needs, including but not limited to tuition, textbooks and school supplies, transportation, and housing.

The amount allocated for each scholarship shall be up to $6,000 for students attending any international institution or technical training program for a period of up to one year.

Castro pointed out in the legislation that colleges/universities and technical training programs across the globe provide unique perspectives on how to undertake various occupations in various fields. Exposure to such foreign countries’ perspective in different fields can be highly beneficial for the future development of the CNMI, he said.

He said the Study-Abroad Program is a program offered by various colleges to give chances to college students to pursue college studies in a foreign country. Castro said this would be a great opportunity for CNMI residents to expand their horizons from either an educational or technical training standpoint.

He said it will be highly pertinent to provide a scholarship to such eligible individuals, provided that they return back to the islands and cascade all that they have learned from that foreign country.

To be eligible for this scholarship program, an individual shall be a U.S. citizen, a CNMI resident for at least three consecutive years prior to enrollment in a college/university or technical training program, furnish an acceptance letter from an international institution or technical training program, and agree to train and work in the CNMI, among other criteria.

The Commonwealth Study-Abroad Scholarship awards will be funded by CNMI scholarship educational/assistance funds that will be allocated in the annual appropriations of the CNMI Scholarship Office, which shall administer the program.