2020 Scholarship Recipients
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We are pleased to present our 2020 scholarship
recipients. |
High School Graduates
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Valasi Alailima
Hello and Talofa Lava, Valasi Alailima is a proud
Samoan, having graduated with Honors from Helix
Charter High School. She will be attending Azusa
Pacific University this Fall majoring in business
management. Valasi enjoyed playing on the volleyball
team, and at the club level. She was also a memberof
the Poly Club and the Gridiron Ministry. Valasi
volunteered at Alvarado Hospital and in her school’s
medical pathway program for sports medicine. She
helped her parents for many years during the Miss
PIFA pageant and the PIFA festival with the Samoan
cultural village, entertainment last year as well as
The Samoa Association San Diego. Now that this
chapter of her life is over, she is grateful for the
scholarship opportunity from PIFA to pursue and
further her education but will always remember and
treasure this time of her life. Faafetai!
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Alyssa Mehealani Gutierrez
Ahola Everyone! Alyssa Mehealani Gutierrez is
honored and blessed to be representing the beautiful
islands of Hawaii and the Hawaiian Community. She
graduated from High Tech High School, Chula Vista,
with a 4.27 GPA, and this is her first year
receiving the PIFA scholarship. Go Bruins! Alyssa
will be attending San Diego State University in the
Fall majoring in Kinesiology with an emphasis in
Pre-Physical Therapy. She has volunteered for PIFA
for the last three years when her brother Daniel was
a scholarship recipient. Alyssa would like to thank
God for granting me this amazing opportunity, to
PIFA for giving the chance to further my education,
and to my family for always being there for me.
Mahalo!
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Jaymee Marrero
Hafaadai! I am Jaymee Marrero
representing the Chamorro Community. I graduated
from Morse High School and will be attending San
Diego State University in the Fall. My major is
pre-criminal justice and I hope to get a career
dealing with forensics in the future. In high
school, I did four years of cross country and two
years of track. Outside of school, I danced with my
local Guma ImahenTaotao Tano for seven years now.
Our group performs at PIFA every year. It has
become a passion for me to preserve my Chamorro
culture and I want to be able to spread awareness
and teach others about Pacific Islanders.
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Angelica Asoau
Angelica Asoau, daughter of Arlene and Pulemau Asoau,
is representing the Samoan Community having
graduated with honors from Monte Vista High
School.She will be attending California State
University, Fresno, in the Fall majoring in
Psychology. Angelica will be the first child in her
household to graduate from High School and continue
onto college. Angelica played volleyball and
softball for four years, which she was team captain
for softball her senior year. She was a Youth Leader
at her church where she taught Samoan dance, as well
as worship songs, and was on the Worship team.
Angelica volunteered at the PIFA festival for the
last three years, her first year and the soda booth,
then her last two years and the T-shirt booth.
While attending college, she plans to continue
volunteering for PIFA. Angelica would like to thank
the PIFA for the opportunity she has been given.
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Adonijah Ma’a
Tafola Lava! Adonijah Ma’a, is the sixth child of
Michelle and Amerika Ma’a, representing the Samoan
Community. He graduated with honors from Monte
Vista High School and will be attending San Diego
State University in the Fall pursuing a degree in
Business. Adonijah’s leadership skills come from
being a Senior Class Officer, working on the
Yearbook, and being in many different clubs such as
the Polynesiandance club, step club, and two hip
hop/urban dance club. He played four years of
volleyball and was on the varsity cheer squad.
Family is important to Adonijah;and religion also
plays a very important part of their Samoan
culture. He is on the worship team and teaches
dance to the youth. The church gives them
opportunity to stay connected with God and provides
a means to give back to the community. Adonijah has
volunteered with PIFA for the last three years at
the T-shirt booth. He liked volunteering at PIFA
because it excited him to see people from different
cultures getting together and unite in one place.
Adonijah’s culture and family are the roots to his
success.
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Undergraduates |
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Victoria Cone
Victoria Cone, also known as “Tori”, represents the
Hawaiian Community. She is a second-year college
student at California State University Long Beach.
Tori is currently studying as a dance major and
aiming to pursue my Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in
Dance. During her spare time, she does photography
and likes to travel. Tori has volunteered numerous
years at the Taste of the Pacific and the Pacific
Islander Festival that is held each year in
September, her mother Jasmine served as Chairperson
and Director. Tori would like to thank her family
and friends for all of their endless support in her
aspirations. Mahalo Nui Loa!!!
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Alana Godoy
Alana Godoy is a 22-year old senior
at San Diego State University, graduating with a
bachelor's degree in both Anthropology and
Sociology. Alana started a Youtube channel and
website called "Sincerely Alana" which focuses on
addressing current social issues, preserving
culture, and promoting confidence among young people
in minority communities. This year she is a member
of SDSU's Mortar Board and has recently completed
her fellowship with Asian Pacific Partners for
Empowerment, Advocacy, and Leadership (APPEAL)'s
SPARC program which works towards reducing
tobacco-related health disparities among Pacific
Islander and Asian American communities. Alana has
also been the past Miss Pacific Islander of San
Diego First Princess from 2016-2019.
Mahalo!
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Malia Hueitt
Malia Hueitt represents the Hawaiian Community. She
is currently attending her second year at the
University of California, San Diego, majoring in
Biochemistry switching to Biology. Malia has
volunteered at PIFA for the last eight years since
her brother Tyrone was a PIFA scholarship
recipient. She has worked at the Taste of the
Pacific at the front lines as well as
Entertainment. At the festival, Malia has worked
the Soda Booth, T-shirt Booth and Entertainment.
Malia wants to give back to PIFA by becoming a
member and serve as a community leader and
spokesperson for the youth of the Melanesian,
Micronesian, and Polynesian communities. She would
like to one day serve as Board of Director and
institute a program of mentorship for the
scholarship recipients and the Pacific Islander
youth.
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Leiana Lepule
Leiana Lepule, from Chula Vista, California,
represents the Samoan Community. She is currently a
fourth-year student at San Diego State University,
pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies
with an emphasis in Elementary Education and a focus
in Mathematics. Leiana served on the executive
board on the SDSU’s Pacific Islander Student
Association as Vice President (2018-2019) and
President (2019-2020). She has been volunteering
for PIFA since she was little with the start of her
father Tana being involved with PIFA and serving
several years as the PIFA President. Leiana has
volunteered on her own as a scholarship recipient at
the Cultural Village, Soda Booth and T-shirt Booth.
This will be her fifth year receiving a PIFA
scholarship. Leiana is grateful for the opportunity
PIFA has given her and the encouragement she
continues to receive in pursuing a higher education.
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Jeweliana Silva
Jeweliana Mendiola Silva is the reigning 2020-2021
Miss PIFA. She is twenty years old and of Chamorro
and Mexican decent. Jeweliana recently graduated
from Southwestern College with an Associates degree
in Allied Health and currently pursuing a degree of
Bachelors in Nursing at National University. She
aspires to become a nurse practitioner, specializing
in pediatric oncology. Jeweliana currently works at
Sharp Chula Vista as a certified nursing assistant,
where her job varies from working in the ICU
assisting with COVID-19 patients to checking
temperatures of guests at the hospital entrance to
ensure a healthy environment.
Jeweliana currently dances with Irensia dance troupe
and has been with them for four years. Her most
memorable time from dancing this far has been
dancing on Guam and Saipan when Irensia visited the
islands in the summer of 2018. Her goal is to
inspire others to learn their culture and to
continue the traditions of her ancestors. God,
family and education are her priorities and plan to
use them to bring health awareness to the Pacific
Islander community
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See Scholarship winners 2019
See
Scholarship winners 2018 |
See
Scholarship winners 2017 |
See
Scholarship winners 2016 |
See Scholarships
winners 2015 |
See Scholarships
winners 2014 |
See Scholarships
winners 2013 |
See Scholarships
winners 2012 |
See Scholarships
winners 2011 |
See Scholarships
winners 2010 |
See Scholarships
winners 2009 |
See Scholarships
winners 2008 |
See Scholarships
winners 2007 |