Leeward Community College student, Erlinda Cabrera Naputi an Indigenous Chamorro from Saipan, is achieving her goal to earn an associate’s degree in liberal arts before the age of 50 through the campus’ Online AA 5-Week program. The program provided her with the flexibility to balance her personal and professional responsibilities.
Naputi has faced significant challenges and adversity. At the age of 10, she and her six siblings were abandoned by their mother. This experience profoundly impacted her life. Fortunately, her grandparents took them in and provided for them.
Things weren’t easy, however, as they grew up on a farm, with very little income.
“I remember Nana (grandmother) and Tata (grandfather) working tirelessly to make ends meet,” Naputi said. “Weekends were filled with chores that taught us the value of hard work and responsibility.”
After high school, Naputi ended up working to care for her grandparents. She was employed at the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library, where she started off as a part-time clerk typist and worked her way up to becoming a director and state librarian—a career that spanned three decades.
During this time she met her husband and had three children, in addition to one child from a previous relationship. They are now grandparents with five grandchildren.
Pursuing a college degree
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Despite having to raise a family, Naputi set her sights on pursuing a college degree with the Alakaʻina Scholarship that provided funding that she desperately needed.
The Online AA program allowed her to progress quickly to complete her associate degree. She could study at her own pace, work around family responsibilities and her demanding work schedule as the library director and the President of Pacific Islands Association of Libraries, Archives, and Museums.
Naputi said her educational journey will not end here. She will pursue a degree in library and information science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, fulfilling her passion to serve her community by providing them with resources to enrich their lives.
“Leeward CC has provided me with a solid foundation, bringing me one step closer to realizing this dream (of earning a four-year degree),” said Naputi. “With a heart filled with unwavering passion, I embark on the next chapter of my educational journey.”
