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2000 FHS Co-Valedictorian keynotes 2nd day of Youth Summit

Trixy Taua-Petaia during her keynote address on Tuesday
Addressing her audience in Samoan, Taua-Petaia tells youth “Learning has no limits”
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — “Learning has no limits. Knowledge is very powerful,” declared Trixy Taua-Petaia, during her keynote address Tuesday, the final day of the two-day Governor’s 2018 Youth Empowerment Summit at the Pago Pago Youth Center, where she also urged youth participants to remember the importance of protecting “our Samoan treasurers” — culture, language and tradition.

Taua-Petaia —  the Co-Valedictorian of Fagaitua High School class of 2000, and the 2004 Miss American Samoa — is a Case Manager for Pierce County Aging and Disability Resources in the state of Washington, serving and assisting more than 100 Samoan families.

“I want to highlight, that I am a proud product of American Samoa’s public school system,” said Taua-Petaia to loud applause from the audience, which included Lt. Gov. Lemanu Palepoi Sialega Mauga and some cabinet members. She also shared that her father was an educator in public schools serving not only as a principal but a teacher.

Taua-Petaia — a 2004 graduate of Notre Dame University who holds a Bachelors of Science in Biology, with a Minor in Biochemistry — expressed appreciation to the organizers of the summit for the opportunity to “offer words of encouragement and empowerment to our youth.”

The Aoa village native delivered her keynote address mostly in Samoan, telling the youth that most of them are Samoans and therefore she wanted to use her native language. That prompted another round of applause from the audience.

Taua-Petaia said that it’s over 10 years since she left home and she is pleased and happy to be back, adding that she believes that everyone in the audience agrees with her, that family, village and native country is where a person is excited and happy to be. She said American Samoa is home and “is dear to my heart.”

She challenged the territory’s future generation to get a good education and strive for a a future that would benefit their families, villages and the entire territory.  And if “you go off island, don’t forget our culture and tradition — which should be kept close to your heart because you are Samoan,” she said.

Youth participants were then encouraged to make it a habit to find out who their lawmakers are — in the House and the Senate — and to talk to their respective lawmakers and get to know them.

“Get to know them [lawmakers] and make them aware of who you are, so that you would know and have a better understanding of things happening in government,” she said.

Taua-Petaia recalled that during her high school years, she attended during one summer the Junior Statesmen Program at Stanford University.

“Science and Math were my favorite subjects, but it did not limit me from exploring and learning other subject matters,” she said and encouraged the youth, “Do no limit yourself to just the things you are comfortable with. Get out of your comfort zone. Learning has no limits. Knowledge is very powerful.”

She also shared some details about her growing up in Aoa, where she learned “how to appreciate everything” as they didn’t have much back in those days, such as cell phones and an internet connection.

She went on to remind the participants “never forget” the Samoan culture, language and Samoa traditions, as these are our Samoan treasurers. And “we should be very honest” in maintaining and keeping these treasures which makes Samoa unique and special and known across the globe.

Also important is for the territory’s youth to have a full and complete understanding of the to the Deeds of Cession between American Samoa and the United States, so that “we can continue to protect and preserve our Samoan treasures,” she said.

To the youth, “honesty is important,” she said and encouraged participants to be honest in all the things that they do, “even if you don’t choose to get a higher education and you choose to stay on island, be honest in what ever you want to do.”

For example, she points to her mother, who has been working in the banking industry for nearly 40 years. Upon high school graduation, her mother went straight to work as a bank teller. And because of her mother’s honesty, this resulted in her mother later being promoted at the bank, according to Taua-Petaia.

“So it doesn’t matter what you do, where you go, honesty is important and always continue with your prayers daily. Obey your parents,” she said, adding that, “do something good for your family” and she urged the youth, “don’t show-off, and don’t forget to always show love and respect” to others.

“And what ever God decides as your path in the future, return home and bring something good that will benefit your family, your community and the entire territory,” she said.

HER JOB

Taua-Petaia gave a summary of her job, saying that for over 10 years, she has worked in  human services in Seattle, Washington as a case manager. She is responsible for assessing and coordinating services for older and disabled adults — who would have ended up being cared at a nursing home.

“I help them with their needs, to provide them care at home. All of my clients are Medicaid recipients — which means the population that I serve are of low income status. I love what I do, because I get to help people, but most of all, I get to get their blessings,” she said, noting that she has many Samoan clients who are elderly.