TSL Foundation awards $10K to 10 NMC students

Ten Northern Marianas College students are awarded the Tan Siu Lin Foundation Scholarship. Also in photo are NMC vice president Cyndi Deleon Guerrero, standing third from left, and president of TanHoldings Corp., Jerry Tan, standing fifth from right, together with TSL Foundation Scholarship recipients. (NMC)

To emphasize its commitment to expanding higher education opportunities for CNMI students, the Tan Siu Lin Foundation recently awarded $1,000 to 10 Northern Marianas College students.

The award was made as part of the TSL Foundation’s Scholarship Program, which has been awarding scholarship money to NMC students annually for 16 years. Since the company’s first presentation of scholarships in 2003, the TSL Foundation Scholarship Program has officially provided $100,000 in scholarship money to deserving NMC students.

The foundation is the charitable arm of TanHoldings Corp.

From a highly competitive selection process, the following NMC students were selected to receive $1,000 each this year: Ezekiel Alfred, Jimmy R. Blancia Jr., Aysha P. Cabrera, Joyce M. Cuenca, Jessa Lyn P. Lizama, Eloise E. Lopez, Arah Jean F. Manabat, Marie F. Manebo, Cristine B. Ruiz, and Frankly M. Santos.

The students are pursuing degrees in Accounting, Business Management, Liberal Arts, Education, Nursing, and Natural Resource Management.

“The Tan Siu Lin Foundation recognizes Northern Marianas College’s central role in educating and training residents of the CNMI,” said Jerry Tan, TanHoldings president. “We are glad to partner with the college by helping to advance its workforce development efforts and to provide these scholarship funds to help students along their educational journey.”

“The TSL Foundation has, for many years, supported our students and our institution in many ways, including making available this scholarship program that has awarded more than $100,000 since the program began,” said interim college president Frankie Eliptico. “We are thankful to Mr. Tan, the TSL Foundation, and the TanHoldings family of companies for their continued commitment to our students’ success.” 

The foundation, originally named Tan Holdings Foundation, was formed in 2002 and was renamed after the company’s founder and chairman, Dr. Tan Siu Lin. Through the years, the Tan Siu Lin Foundation has launched initiatives and built trusted partnerships with a diverse array of individuals, families, corporations, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. The TSL Foundation’s main mission is to better serve the regions where it operates to make such communities a better place to live.

The scholarships are based on merit and are awarded on the basis of the candidate’s community involvement, academic background, and letters of recommendation. The written essay also plays a key role in the final selection of scholarship recipients.

The selection committee was composed of representatives from TSL Foundation and NMC. (NMC)