Learn about Marlena Wolfgramm’s journey to researching Persistence and Retention of Pacific Islanders in STEM.

TupuToa alum and 2018 winner of the Prime Minister’s Leadership and Inspiration Award, Asena Tolungamaka shares the reason for helping to lead Navigators of Success and why we need more Pacific representation in policy.

Michael Tui, born and raised on Oahu, shares his experience navigating undergrad and grad school as a first generation student. Driven by his desire to uplift his community, he’s served in the mental health field by providing trauma-informed care and the law enforcement field as a police officer for the Honolulu Police Department. He now works on an award winning program in North Carolina as a Behavioral Health Specialist helping emergency medical personnel cope with physical and mental health conditions.

Michael Green Jr.’s dedication to equity and inclusion is undoubtedly connected to his diverse life experiences and his humble upbringing as a child in Desoto, Texas. A first-generation college graduate from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Michael Green Jr. currently serves as the Dean of Culture and Instruction for Uplift Education, where he impacts teacher practices and influences the way schools provide culturally sound educational experiences for all students.

Papua New Guinean non-profit founder, tv-series host, mother of 5, and health advocate, Jennifer Baing-Waiko, shares her journey creating Save PNG and the Healthy Pacific Campaign. She encourages Pacific communities to trust their Pacific ancestors and go back to a more traditional diet.

South Pacific Islander Organization advocates for the creation of intentional spaces specifically led by and created for Pacific Islanders.

Meet the founder of Afakasi Prints and learn why she decided to create a social justice collection fighting againt the systemic racism faced by BIPOC communities.

Lorna-Lei Sua'ava, Samoan undergraduate scholar at Southern Virginia University, shares her transformative experience as a recipient of a National Science Foundation-funded Biochemistry internship at Brigham Young University, Provo. She hopes to see an improved American Samoan healthcare system empowering traditional medicinal practices.

South Pacific Islander Organization is hosting its inaugural 2020 SPIO Virtual Summit for Pacific scholars to navigate higher education and professional careers successfully.

Iesina shares her experience as the only Tongan at Southern New Hampshire University. There, she served as the President of the Student Government Association and received a Bachelor’s of Arts in Mathematics with a Minor in Statistical Modeling. She hopes to pursue a graduate degree and eventually work in the field of financial engineering.

South Pacific Islander Organization (SPIO) is excited to announce the launch of its first open source project: the SPIO Directory of Educational Resources.

Patricia “Patty” Leilua is a Samoan woman born and raised in Melbourne. Patty shares her educational journey, her experience working at Le Mana Pasifika, and why she’s pursuing a Masters in Teaching.

Wilbert Alik is the inaugural recipient of the $5,000 USD 2019-20 SPIO Community Leadership Scholarship. Translating COVID-19 health materials for the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), Wilbert is dedicated to community service. The power and strength of a community working together, along with his desire to preserve, protect and pass on the knowledge of his people, gave him motivation to pursue an Anthropology degree. He is now pursuing his Bachelor's Degree at Northern Michigan University.

Lessei Perelini is the inaugural recipient of the $5,000 USD 2019-20 SPIO Extracurricular Excellence Scholarship. Lessei, commonly known as “Sei”, was born in New Zealand; despite her Kiwi nationality, her upbringing took place in the depths of the South Pacific in American Samoa. Currently, Sei is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Politics and International Relations and Spanish at the University of Auckland.

Teiana Gonsalves is the inaugural recipient of the $5,000 USD 2019-20 SPIO Academic Excellence Scholarship. Teiana is a recent graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapālama and was born and raised on the east side of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. She will attend Stanford University in the fall and plans on majoring in Political Science with a minor in Earth Systems along the Sustainability sub-plan.

We are honored to announce our inaugural 2019-20 SPIO Scholarship Award Recipients.

Elizabeth V. Kite shares her educational path and journey to founding Tonga’s only youth-led NGO, Tonga Youth Leaders. She is now embarking on two new initiatives: Oceanic Leaders Alliance and Pacific Lead.

Doris Tulifau, founder of Brown Girl Woke, shares her story of resilience, tenacious advocacy and love for her community as she navigated higher education before pursuing her community advocacy work around gender equity in Samoa and American Samoa. She gives advice to people interested in becoming community organizers and working in the nonprofit field.

Eli Jennings shares his path from homelessness to Director of Financial Aid at Pacific Rim University in Hawai’i. He now provides students with the resources they need to find financial freedom.

Tongan healer, writer, and entrepreneur, Elizabeth Kaloumaira, talks about dropping out of university to follow her passion. She believes that university is not the only pathway for Pacific youth and that it's okay to forge your own path.