Jude Litulumar

Jude Litulumar is a 17-year-old Refaluwasch native from the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. Born and raised on a beautiful island archipelago deep in North Oceania, Jude is passionate about taking urgent action to combat the climate crisis and the changing environment around him. He served as a CNMI Delegate in the 2022 Native Youth Climate and Adaptation Leadership Congress held at the U.S. National Fish and Wildlife National Conservation Training Center where he joined indigenous youth from around the nation to discuss environmental issues impacting native peoples. Jude believes the combination of youth leadership and indigenous knowledge is powerful and effective when leading conversations around climate solutions. His commitment to service and leadership is evident through efforts with the Student Council, Youth Advisory Panel, and Inafamaolek Youth. He is currently an intern with the Office of Representative Sheila Babauta, Chair of the Natural Resources Committee in the 22nd Northern Marianas Legislature, and hopes to gain insight through community engagement and policy research.

Jude's campaign was focused on empowering the students of his school by improving their knowledge on the Mariana Trench and the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. He worked with the Friends of the Mariana Trench, Rep. Sheila Babauta, his school principal, and fellow youth leaders to plan and establish a campaign. The campaign consisted of three major phases. The first phase was to survey his school, in which he got 159 responses that would help him analyze the information he would share. After gathering information, he moved on to phase two, which focused on publishing information daily to his school with the use of his school's Instagram account. Finally he moved on to the third phase, and gathered 15 interested seniors to join a more elaborate discussion on the Mariana Trench, its monument, and the different marine protected areas the CNMI possesses.

"The OceanEcho 30x30 Fellowship allowed me to connect with and befriend many great people with similar interests as me. One of these would be the Friends of the Mariana Trench, who provided me with the confidence and the voice to speak out about things important to my island and the waters surrounding it. In addition, I got to collaborate with fellow youth leaders and uplift my own community, by sharing information and starting conversations. Moving forward I would use all the knowledge I've gained from this experience and apply it to future endeavors. I'll forever be grateful for this amazing experience."