I joined Polynesian Student Alliance during my sophomore year of college but was not very committed until my junior year when I chose to dance in Polynesian Day 2013. After that, I was elected as fundraising chair my Senior year and graciously accepted, as well as danced in Polynesian Day 2014. Growing up in a predominately white suburb of Seattle, I was not able to discover or understand any part of my Polynesian culture - coming to the UW and joining PSA was my way of finding my indigenous self.
There is so much that I believe youth gain from being connected to their culture and, while I may have discovered mine late, there is a sense of belonging and strength that I draw from my own culture now. Too many times this society insists that if you are not from the dominant culture, you are less or insufficient. To navigate these confusing and often damaging messages as a person of color, feeling a sense of identity with your culture is essential. Not only is PSA a home away from home and a family, but at the core of our mission is to promote higher education to increase the number of Pacific Islander students that receive a higher education.
There is so much that I believe youth gain from being connected to their culture and, while I may have discovered mine late, there is a sense of belonging and strength that I draw from my own culture now. Too many times this society insists that if you are not from the dominant culture, you are less or insufficient. To navigate these confusing and often damaging messages as a person of color, feeling a sense of identity with your culture is essential. Not only is PSA a home away from home and a family, but at the core of our mission is to promote higher education to increase the number of Pacific Islander students that receive a higher education.
Tasks Accomplished
- Learning traditional Polynesian dances and performing them
- Fundraising money for Polynesian Student Alliance
- Building a community and working with a group of officers to promote higher education to Pacific Islander students.
- Attitude: Zest or passion for life
- Skills - Organizational: Able to build community and bring people together
- Skills - Organizational: Able to collaborate with others
- Behavior: Identify opportunities to lead
By working together to promote a common cause, one that we all feel passionate about, I found a way of living and working that I will never give up. The organizational skills and personal fulfillment I was able to experience through being involved with PSA will be applied throughout my life. Specifically, in graduate school, I will be able to maintain my Polynesian identity to stay confident, work to better my own community that needs help and continue to develop my cultural knowledge to take back my roots.