Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, Native Hawaiian professional MMA fighter shares why it is important to find community away from home, encourage our youth to pursue higher education, and support our larger Indigenous community. 

Born and raised on the island of Tutuila in American Samoa, Gabrielle Langkilde is now a 3rd year student at Harvard College majoring in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Sociology. Gabrielle shares her transition from island to mainland, her experience with culture shock, and the importance of creating spaces for Pacific Islanders to be empowered and represented across college campuses. 

“I remind myself that my presence in tech is empowerment on it’s own. If you are a Pacific Islander in the tech industry, remember that visibility and representation sometimes is the best thing we can do for our community.”

Alina Fa’aola, born and raised in Los Angeles and of Samoan and Mexican descent, talks about her academic journey and her passion for cultivating leaders in a new program, Oakland Pacific Islander Network. Through this initiative, she hopes to help young Pacific Islander students in Oakland develop their leadership skills.

Jon Lautaha talks about his experience at Stanford, his professional growth in the Utah tech industry and the importance of embracing failure in order to grow as an individual. In fall 2019, Jon will start grad school, pursuing an MBA at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

On August 31, 2019, citizens and community allies from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) gathered in Oregon at the Blue Lake Regional Park in Fairview Oregon to celebrate the 2nd Annual FSM Community Day.

Samoan MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) at the University of Otago, Mosana Evagelia, shares her experience pursuing a medical degree and her insight on the health disparities for Māori and Pasifika communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. She hopes to educate health professionals on the importance of cultural competency and raise Pasifika health awareness in her community.

Dr. Afa Palu shares some highlights of his educational and scientific work: his leading research on Pacific Islander U.S. high school dropouts, the creation of an education radio talk show and his extensive research on the health benefits of the noni (Morinda citrifolia L.), a plant native to the Pacific and elsewhere. He hopes to see more Pacific Islander students embracing the academic challenge of pursuing college and recognizing the multitude of pathways to higher education.

Raised in Aotearoa New Zealand and currently living in British Columbia to finish her PhD, Sereana Naepi talks about her journey through academia, her research findings on the experiences of Pasifika women in academia in the face of sexism and racism, and her thoughts on the designation “Asian Pacific Islander.” Soon returning to Aotearoa to work with young Pacific academics, she hopes to inspire more Pasifika scholars to pursue leadership positions in order to enable meaningful community-oriented change in higher education.

First-generation law student, Jullian Sekona, shares her experience as the only Tongan at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. Currently employed at Barulich Dugoni and Suttmann Law Group, Inc. in San Mateo, she hopes to see more Pacific scholars pursuing law degrees in order to provide more resources and representation for their community.

Teyonna Jarman talks about her multicultural identity and her experience as a first-generation college student. Now a Stanford alumna with a B.S. in Product Design, she plans on pursuing opportunities at the intersection of tech, entertainment and education. She hopes to see more students embracing and feeling empowered by their multicultural identities.

First-generation Native Hawaiian Stanford student, Jaysha Kuuipoaloha Alonz-Estrada, talks about changing majors, following her path and utilizing community resources in high school and in college (4-H, College Horizons, Leland Scholars Program, Muwekma Tah-Ruk) to empower her throughout her academic career.

Finausina Tovo talks about her transition from student-athlete to scholar, the importance of giving Pacific Islanders a voice in higher education and the Mana program’s effect on Pacific scholars. Using her research in California Community Colleges, she hopes to empower more students to pursue all their educational options and demand community at their school.

Tongan PhD candidate, Faka’iloatonga Taumoefolau, shares his academic path throughout the South Pacific, motivations for pursuing graduate degrees and advice for students pursuing higher education.

Community-minded Fijian entrepreneur, Ana Jones, talks about her transition from the British to the U.S. education system, how she serendipitously fell into her professional field and how she is working to improve the lives of elders through her business, Phlex65. She hopes to see more Pacific scholars using their degrees to solve community problems.

Daniel Tonga grew up in Kansas City with his Tongan-Hawaiian father and Puerto Rican mother. After going on his mission in Utah, he forged strong community ties and a desire to finish his college degree. He recently graduated from University of Utah in May 2019. He drew much motivation and inspiration to pursue higher education from his grandfather - a true trailblazer - who migrated from Tonga at age 16 to pursue his degree in Electrical Engineering at BYU and eventually worked at Ford, Northrup Grumman and Lockheed Martin. Daniel showcases grit and determination as he worked nearly full-time while finishing up his degree. He aims to pursue a career mixing finance and entrepreneurship.

UCLA’s PISA is one of the nation’s leading Pacific Islander (PI) higher education student groups. Since 1986, PISA has been fighting against Pacific Islander stereotypes, strengthening its community, and going out into the Los Angeles area to empower high school students to pursue higher education. With Pacific Islander college graduation rates below the national average and with Pacific Islander scholars representing less than 1% across all University of California (UC) institutions, PISA is working to improve those statistics through their impactful community programming. Karla Blessing Sāvaliolefilemū Thomas, president of UCLA’s PISA and Pacific Islander community leader, talks about the group’s history, programs, and the importance of PI representation in higher education.

Raised by her maternal grandparents in Tonga, Anita shares her experience transitioning to school in the U.S., drawing motivation to pursue higher education from her elders, and receiving the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship to fund her college and graduate degrees. Now in her last year of her EdD program at Northcentral University, she looks forward to sharing her research on the first-year college experience of Pacific Islanders in order to find ways to increase their college graduation rates.

Of I-Kiribati and Tuvaluan descent, Buriata Eti Tofinga grew up in Bikenibeu, a small village on the island of Tarawa in Kiribati. After completing her undergraduate degree at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, she pursued a Masters degree at University of Sydney and a PhD from the University of the South Pacific. She now lives in Kuala Lumpur and works as a Lecturer at Monash University where she teaches and conducts research in the field of management and entrepreneurship. She hopes to see more Pacific Islander scholars pursuing careers in academia, because Pacific Islander representation in leadership matters.

Born and raised on the Makah Reservation and of Pohnpeian (Federated States of Micronesia) descent, MichaeLynn believes in the importance of supporting young indigenous people in exploring their paths. She also believes all students can become independent and successful contributors in their communities. After graduating from Stanford University with her B.A in Science, Technology and Society with a focus in Life Sciences and Biotechnology, MichaeLynn immediately returned home to Neah Bay, WA, eventually becoming the Project Manager for a SAMHSA Native Connections Grant, which focused on preventing suicide and substance use for indigenous youth. After spending 3 years working with her tribe to decolonize mental health approaches for Makah youth, she returned to school and is currently pursuing her M.A in Education for School Counseling at Seattle University.