SAIPAN, MARIANA ISLANDS. A welcome holiday gift from the island’s largest private employer, Tan Holdings Corporation (THC) announced today that it is offering $10,000 in scholarships to help local residents attend Northern Marianas College classes next year.

The donation towards the “Tan Holdings NMC Scholarship” was presented to college officials by THC’s Executive Vice President Jerry Tan, who also serves as president of the Northern Marianas College Foundation. The company recently turned over the first $5,000, which will allow five students to receive $1,000 in assistance in the upcoming semester beginning in January. The balance of the scholarship will be reserved for five more students in the Fall Semester.

“Tan Holdings feels it’s very important to the islands’ future to support education in our community, and we wanted to present these scholarship funds as our way of helping to make higher education more accessible and affordable for local students,” said Tan.

“We sincerely appreciate Tan Holdings’ continued support of Northern Marianas College. This Tan Holdings Scholarship Program will be welcomed by our resident students and will contribute in enhancing the education and training of our local workforce,” said Tony DeLeon Guerrero, Dean of Community Programs and Services at NMC.

To apply for the scholarship, eligible students must be U.S. citizens and must have resided in the Northern Marianas for at least one year. The $1,000 scholarship is available to five students and must be used for tuition and books within the first quarter of 2004. For applications, please contact the Financial Aid Office of NMC or Tan Holdings Corporate Affairs Department at 233-3772.