Saipan native chosen for summer internship at OIA

WASHINGTON, D.C.—A Capital Hill resident of Saipan has been chosen as one of four students from the U.S. Insular Areas to participate in the Office of Insular Affairs Internship Program.

James Passi Camacho of the Northern Mariana Islands joins Fuatino Leleo Solaita of American Samoa, Cajay S.T. Jacobs of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Martin Joseph Moore III of the Republic of Palau for this paid internship program, the first of its kind for the insular areas.

Esther Kia’aina

Department of the Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas Esther Kia’aina made the announcement yesterday of the four students’ selection. They were chosen out of a pool of approximately 400 applicants from across the country.

“I believe strongly in building the capacity of young people from the insular areas, especially those who are interested in public service and giving back to their communities,” said Kia’aina. “Because the role of the federal government, including the Office of Insular Affairs, is very important in the insular areas, I want our future leaders to learn about the workings of the federal Executive Branch, Congress, and Judicial Branch. They will get a full and rewarding experience by working closely with senior leadership in our office.”

Fuatino Leleo Solaita, from Nu’uuli, American Samoa, is pursuing a master’s degree in Business Administration from Chaminade University in Hawaii. She is a graduate of Samoana High School and received her B.A. in Business Administration from Chaminade University. She is currently working as a Human Resources practitioner at the American Samoan government Department of Human Resources.

James Passi Camacho, from Capital Hill, Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, is a graduate of Saipan Southern High School. He is currently a senior at the University of Hawaii at Manoa majoring in Biology.

Cajay S.T. Jacobs, from Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, is a graduate of All Saints Cathedral School in St. Thomas. She is a senior at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, majoring in Policy Analysis and Management.

Martin Joseph Moore III, of Ngerchemai, Koror, Palau and Pottstown, Pennsylvania, is a graduate of Xavier High School in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. He is a senior at Chaminade University in Hawaii majoring in International Studies. He is also president of the Chaminade Student Government Association. (Saipan Tribune)