CNMI youth attend National Transportation Institute

From left, Michelle Quichocho of Tinian High School, Mariette Barcinas of Rota High School, Anjenette Cubangbang of Marianas High School, Evelyn Hermosilla from the CNMI Youth Affairs Office, and Ian Cataluna of Marianas High School. (Contributed Photo)

Students from the CNMI attended a three-week program at the National Transportation Summer Institute at the Kentucky State University and at the National Flight Academy in Pensacola, Florida, to learn more about transportation and engineering and how they impact our society.

Funded by the Federal Highway Administration in collaboration with the CNMI Department of Public Works and close support from the CNMI Office of Youth Affairs, students Michelle Quichocho from Tinian High School, Mariette Barcinas from Rota High School, and Anjenette Cubangbang and Ian Cataluna from Marianas High School took part in projects and field trips that demonstrated engineering specializations from aerospace to software planning and maintaining systems of transportation.

According to Public Works Secretary James Ada, the program aims to encourage careers in the field of transportation and engineering.

“The students spent three weeks living on the Kentucky State University campus and then took a trip to Pensacola, Florida’s National Flight Academy. We are happy to take part in preparing our youth in the field of science, technology, and engineering. We can see in our islands that transportation is crucial to our way of life and the demand is increasing. We hope that more of our youth take advantage of these programs and gain insight to bettering our infrastructure,” Ada said.

Special Assistant for Youth Affairs Shelane Borja noted that the National Flight Academy Centers of Inspiration provides a holistic approach to inspiring CNMI students’ interest and engaging them in order to keep them challenged and excited about pursuing a STEM degree.

“The program takes place onboard the National Flight Academy’s virtual aircraft carrier Ambition, located on the grounds of the National Naval Aviation museum in Pensacola, Florida. Our students took part in intense real-life problems that combined the thrill of flight with critical thinking techniques. These experiences challenged them to think outside the box and apply prior knowledge of science and mathematics,” Borja said.

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres noted that STEM education offers students the opportunity to solve critical problems facing our community’s infrastructure and think of long-term solutions.

“STEM relies on real-life scenarios, and we hope that these experiences encourage them to become advocates of these disciplines. These learning programs are far reaching and provide an in-depth look into the future of our economy and our community. I commend the Department of Public Works and the Office of Youth Affairs for their collaboration. We need to continue to encourage our youth to seek out these learning opportunities to enhance their knowledge,” Torres said. (PR)