Rotary Club welcomes 3 members

The Rotary Club of Saipan inducted three new members into its ranks yesterday during the club’s regular Tuesday meeting at the Hyatt Regency Saipan’s Giovanni’s restaurant.

The new members are Northern Marianas Trades Institute instructor Wendell Posadas, Saipan Mayor’s Office director of field operations Joann Aquino, and Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan food and beverage director Das Krishnan.

Their sponsors, NMTI president Agnes McPhetres for Posadas; Marianas Visitors Authority product development manager Tatiana Babauta for Aquino; and David Sablan Sr. for Krishnan, affixed a club-specific pin on the new members’ lapels to recognize them as official members of the club.

In a speech at the ceremony, Rotary club of Saipan president Greg Borja said, “when you join the Rotary, you join something bigger than yourselves.”

He encouraged the new members to learn all they can about the Rotary Club “and to strengthen your leadership and communication skills by actively participating in the activities of the club, including attending weekly meetings, social events, service projects, and the Las Vegas Night,”

“Through your membership, you will enjoy a network of business leaders and professionals and we commit ourselves to do our part in making you feel welcome to our club,” he added.

Krishnan, who first arrived in the CNMI in 1998, had been in the hotel industry for at least 40 years.

“I am very happy to be honored today,” Krishnan said as he thanked Sablan in a short message.

“There are three reason why I wanted to join the club,” said Aquino in a short message. “The first is the Rotary Club is the oldest and most prestigious organization when it comes to service. Secondly, I work for the mayor’s office and we do a lot of service programs and [more] for the community, and I want to continue to network with our fellow [members in the] private sectors,” she said.

Aquino’s third reason for joining the club was for her own personal growth and development.

Posadas noted that he was a previous member of the club. “Once you are a Rotarian, you are always a Rotarian. I never stopped, I just paused,” he said.

Posadas noted his active involvement in relief operations after Typhoon Soudelor and Super Typhoon Yutu.

“I wanted to help the community, mostly those who needed help,” he said. “I want to fulfill my duties and responsibilities as a Rotarian.”