Name: David P. Sablan, Jr.
Village: Gualo Rai, Saipan CNMI
From a family of: 6
School and area of study: Northern Marianas College, Natural Resource Management
In my family, I am known as the: Clown - I like to make everyone laugh by doing silly things.
Favorite non-academic activity: Jiu-jitsu and Crossfit.
I am really good at: Playing the guitar and ukelele .
Career path: I would like to receive my bachelor's degree in Marine Biology, or as an Enviromentalist and eventually work for an environmental organization here in the CNMI whose goals are to conduct research and monitor changes of the natural resources (corals, algae, endangered species, etc.)
How did you become aware of the Micronesia Challenge Young Champions: I was informed by a friend of mine about an internship opening that was related to my field of study. I then did some research and got familiar with the Micronesia Challenge. I became interested in it so I decided to apply and give it a shot.
As a Young Champion, what do you hope to achieve: I would like to make a difference by making people more concerned about the importance of conservation here in the CNMI.
How have you noticed your village and island has changed in terms of the environment and sea? From my point of view, I've noticed that the island has become a lot cleaner. The beaches have less trash whenever I go there, and littering along the roadside has been reduced tremendously.
Are you working on any sp
ecial projects right now? Yes. I am currently in the process of writing and putting together a children's informative story book which talks about some of the different endangered species of the CNMI.How is that special project coming along? It is coming along well. I'm still in the process of making changes to my outline, but I am enjoying doing it and am hoping it comes out great!
What do you hope to accomplish becoming a Young Champion? I hope to accomplish my children's book, as well as getting as many people to be familiar with what the Micronesia Challenge is.
By 2020, I hope that: The Micronesia Challenge EXCEEDS its goals and maybe re-doubles its goals to 60%/40%.
Read about David's work in the Saipan Tribune.
Photo note: David educates students about the Micronesia Challenge at the 2011 Environmental Expo held in April. About 1500 students attended the event.