Mallari tops My Marianas writing contest

Winners of the 2023 My Marianas Contest pose with the Northern Marianas Humanities Council staff at the Springs Plaza in Gualo Rai. (CHRYSTAL MARINO)

After sifting through 57 entries, the Northern Marianas Humanities Council has named Mount Carmel School’s Jill Anne Mallari as the top winner of this year’s My Marianas Writing Contest, earning her $500.

NMHC announced the winners of this year’s My Marianas Writing Contest and presented them with their cash awards during a short presentation ceremony at the NMHC’s headquarters in the Springs Plaza in Gualo Rai.

Mallari, who is a Class of 2023 MCS graduate, won first place for her essay, One Ocean, One Home. In second place, winning $400, was Dryllynne Joseph, an incoming junior at Kagman High School, for her piece called The Scarred Knees. In third place, also a Class of 2023 MCS graduate, was Brissa Hunter, with her Our Beaches Become Our Memories winning $300.

Runner up pieces were Cheyanne Koloni Sablan’s Traditional Gender Roles, Ashley Muleta’s Cure for Itchiness, Donovan Cabrera’s My Home Away from Home, Luke John Agulto Lizamas A Son of the Marianas, and Ravin Sablan’s Barbecue is Life.

This year’s contest focused on the theme of “Senses of Home.” Participants were challenged to write a three- to five-page personal narrative essay using their five senses to share their reflections of their home.

In a later interview with Mallari, she said she first had to struggle to think of a topic “because there are so many things to write about our islands…”

As her topic has been about the ocean, she mentally pictured and focused on Banzai Cliff, since that was one of her go-to spots. In her essay she even shared about her fear of drowning, and how she had moved past that now.

Mallari says the writing experience was bittersweet, since she will be moving off island to pursue her education. She is hoping to pursue law and will be taking a political science and business degree in the University of San Diego. Her award money, and the many other award incentives she had received for various local competitions, would be going toward her college education.

Joseph credited her KHS teacher, Mr. Pangelinan, for encouraging and getting her to join the contest. She said he had made it a part of her grade, so it was mandatory. Now she is happy she did participate. “I was shocked [to learn that she won] because I didn’t expect this.”

For Joseph, her writing process was an emotional journey, just going back to her past and reliving some painful memories, but ones that would help her to always remember her home. Since she will carry her scars wherever she goes, she says she has a bit of Saipan and a flood of memories with her too.

For Hunter, whose topic was also the ocean, the ocean had been a part of her and her family’s memories over the years, with many of their home stories featuring Saipan’s beaches. She described going through the writing process as a heartwarming experience. Hunter also feels personally disturbed when she witnesses trash on the beaches, so she had to add a portion of that experience in her essay. “It also has an effect on our younger generation, and it will affect our island and our community as a whole.”

Hunter will also be moving overseas to pursue her education at Simons University in Boston, so this writing experience has also helped remind her to take a break from work, spend time with family, and make more memories.

Mallari added, “It’s also… sharing our stories and knowing people are going to read this and despite all the criticism we might get cause we’re just students, it’s a fun journey to just reflect on ourselves and our home, and the place we’re going to leave soon.”

NMHC executive director Leo Pangelinan congratulated the winners and said that NMHC is seeking to publish and distribute these student’s essays, endeavoring to spread yearly the print books of these winning essays to all high schools in the CNMI.

“We’re thinking about possibly moving this contest to the beginning of the school year. We’re thinking about hosting it in Humanities Month, which is in October,” he added.

The My Marianas Writing Contest is an NMHC project meant to promote literacy and the diverse backgrounds and experiences of high school students in the CNMI.