The Pacific Islands Club today awarded seven scholarships totaling $10,500 to students at the Northern Marianas College. The scholarships were awarded as part of the company’s commitment to expand higher education opportunities for CNMI students.

The recipients of the PIC scholarship are: Lawrence Camacho, Antonette Castro, Hazel Doctor, Shannon Hofschneider, Katherine Mersai, Jan Michael Reyes, and Sharisse Rivera. All are pursuing their degrees at the Northern Marianas College.

“We are proud to help the Northern Marianas College advance its mission of helping our students improve their quality of life by advancing their educational and professional development,” said Kieran Daly, PIC Saipan general manager.

“For many years, the Pacific Islands Club has been a strong partner of the college and has always been generous with their contributions to our students,” NMC Interim President Lorraine Cabrera said. “These scholarship awards will go a long way in helping students achieve their educational goals.”

The PIC Saipan scholarship program aims to: (1) promote higher education by providing financial assistance for college students in their pursuit of professional careers; (2) to help alleviate the critical current and future shortage of skilled and trained workforce for the CNMI; and (3) to provide current public and private sector employees with opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills, and enhance their career and professional development.

The scholarship program provides the students with $1,500 scholarships to full-time NMC students who are pursuing a degree in business, criminal justice, nursing, education, natural resource management, liberal arts, or hospitality management. The scholarships were awarded based on merit, eligibility, content of a written essay, and interview process.