The Division of Student Services at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) has announced the recipients for the spring 2017 semester of the College’s Saili le Atamai scholarship, sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA). In addition to recognizing outstanding academic performance, the scholarship also offers support to individuals who do not qualify for the federal PELL Grant or other financial aid resources available to most college students in the Territory.

The Saili le Atamai Scholarship, a $500 award, is available to students who do not have access to federal financial aid, and goes this semester to Ms. Louwill Cazilo and Ms. Jeanne Togiailua. Ms. Cazilo, 19, was born in Zamboagna City in the Philippines, and was a member of the National Honor Society while attending Marist Fa’asao High School, where she graduated in 2015. Ms. Cazilo has volunteered as a Hope House caretaker, and also a member of the Art Club while at Marist Faasao. Currently pursuing an Associate of Science degree in Accounting, Ms. Cazilo expressed her gratitude that the scholarship will assist with her education expenses.

A citizen of the Independent State of Samoa originally from Motootua, Ms. Jeanne Togiailua graduated from Tafuna High School in 2013 and currently majors in Business and Accounting at ASCC. Raised in American Samoa, Ms. Togiailua noticed early on that she did not have the same advantages as her peers, but that made her all the more determined to acquire a passport and a social security number, find a job, and to attend college at ASCC.

 “I’m inspired by my mom, who is a tough single mother and has been working the majority of her life at Starkist,” said Ms. Togiailua. “To this day, she has never traveled to other countries besides American Samoa since we moved here from Apia. Being her only child, this has motivated me to dream of something bigger in life, which is to own an airline. I am currently double-majoring in Business and Accounting in order to work towards bringing my dream closer to reality.”

ASCC Dean of Student Services Dr. Emilia Le’i congratulated this semester’s In-House Scholarship recipients and wished them success in achieving their goals. “We offer what help we can to students who don’t have the same financial assistance advantages as those born locally or in the United States,” she said.  “ASCC has always served scholars from many parts of the Pacific region, and we appreciate the diversity they bring to our learning environment. ”The Saili le Atamai scholarship does not involve an actual cash award, but rather, is the amount deducted from each recipient’s overall costs of tuition, fees, and other expenses. ASCC awards the scholarship on a per- semester basis every spring and fall.

For more information on the College’s In-House Scholarships, contact the Division of Student Services by calling ASCC at 699-9155, extension 376.