Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.**, this project is designed to expand…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.**, this project is designed to expand educational and employment opportunities in fanh sciences to students in the marianas islands and greater micronesia, where course offerings necessary for federal employment are limited. The objectives of this project are 1) expand critical course offerings through institutional partnerships; 2) increase student retention and qualifications through experiential learning opportunities; 3) provide scholarships for fanh students, and 4) build student leadership skills through planning and implementing community outreach and recruitment activities. This project will create a course-sharing partnership between institutions of higher learning in the marianas islands (university of guam, northern marianas college, and guam community college) and several large universities with strong fahn programs (utah state university, university of florida, and university of hawai'i). Through an online course-sharing platform and study abroad experiences, students at all participating institutions will have access to a diversity of fahn courses and research fellowships. Institutions in the marianas will be able to expand their degree/certification programs to meet qualifications for federal employment. This project will also provide high-impact learning experiences (including paid internships, mentoring, research fellowships, and study abroad experiences) that will increase student confidence and excitement, leading to greater retention. Scholarships and student-led community outreach will be important recruitment tools to assist students obtain a degree and introduce k-12 students in the marianas to fanh activities. Through these experiences, students will gain broader awareness of local and federal careers in fanh, receive hands-on experiences to qualify for federal jobs, and gain confidence and new perspectives.