Poet and Pasifika community advocate, Reina Kapiolani Pahulu, shares why she created The Manava Circle and The Mo’unga Project — community projects that empower Pasifika communities.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dr. Leolani Ah Quin encourages Indigenous youth to seek out new worlds and opportunities through higher education. Leolani shares her story of resilience, her untraditional path to a doctoral degree, and her advice to students pursuing higher education. She is currently the Clinical Director for a Tribal Nation in Arizona.

Kapono Faitau shares his experience as a first-generation college graduate navigating college resources and finding sources of educational and career motivation. After graduating from Brigham Young University - Hawaii with a Bachelors of Science for Business Management, he worked in the hospitality industry for nearly a decade — starting in high school — before making a career switch into finance. He now works as a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley and provides wealth management solutions to families, individuals and businesses. Kapono hopes to see more Pacific Islanders work in finance as well as empower Pacific Islander families to get educated on financial planning.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ikani Samani believes young Pacific Islanders have limitless career potential. After growing up in poverty and briefly pursuing a college football scholarship, Ikani decided to break the Polynesian athlete stereotype and pursue a career in software engineering. After graduating from Utah Valley University with a B.S. in Computer Software Engineering, he worked for 5 years as a successful software engineer. He is now pursuing his MBA at BYU while working full-time at WeWork. He hopes to mentor young Pacific Islanders interested in tech and empower students to find a skill that will make them valuable to their community.

Esiteli Hafoka talks about her untraditional journey through higher education, her PhD work on Tongan-American religiosity and the importance of increasing Pacific Islander representation in academia.