Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The American Samoa Community College (ASCC) makes available two “in house” scholarships open for application by all students at the College, one of which is accessible to those who do not qualify for federal financial aid. The Division of Student Services, which administers the scholarships, has announced the recipients for the fall 2026 semester.

The Presidential Merit Scholarship has been awarded to Mr. John Alailima-Utu and Mr. Toalei Toelupe, while Mr. Vise Feagaiga and Ms. Akosita Limaono will receive the Saili le Atamai SGA Non-Pell Scholarship, for which students born outside the US and its territories may apply.

The President’s Merit Scholarship

Applicants for the President’s Merit Scholarship must be full-time students in the previous and current semesters and have maintained a grade point average of 3.60 or better. They need to have completed 24 credits towards an Associate Degree at ASCC, as well as the classes English 150, English 151 and Math 90.

Recipient John Alailima-Utu, age 20, graduated from Leone High School in 2024 and now majors in Political Science at ASCC. His community service to date includes teaching youngsters about water safety with the American Red Cross and creating digital public notices on environmental sustainability for the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Alailima-Utu received highly positive recommendations from his instructors, in support of his goal to pursue a BA in Political Science.

Recipient Mr. Toalei Toelupe, age 22, a 2021 graduate of Fagaitua High School now majoring in Liberal Arts. Since entering ASCC, Mr. Toelupe has served as the student representative on the Board of Higher Education, representing the interests, concerns, and perspectives of the student body in institutional decision-making. While pursuing his education, Mr. Toelupe currently serves as a Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

The SGA Non-Pell Scholarship

The scholarship is sponsored by the ASCC Student Government Association and requires that applicants be full-time students in the previous and current semester with a grade point average of 3.0 or better, have completed 12 credits or more towards an Associate Degree or Certificate of Proficiency at ASCC, and have completed English 90 and Math 80. This scholarship is open for application by students who do not qualify for federal financial aid, and thus has been a source of assistance for local students born as close as the Independent State of Samoa and as far away as the Philippines.

Recipient Mr. Vise Feagaiga, age 19, and born in the Independent State of Samoa graduated from Leone High School in 2024 and now pursues an Associate Degree in Samoan Studies at the College. He is a member of the ASCC Student Association For Fa'asamoa (SAFF), serves as one of the club musicians and assists the lead choreographer and performance producers in creating the music for the frequent SAFF public performances. Mr. Vise is also active with the Lokou O Le Ola Baptist Church.

Recipient, Ms. Akosita T. Limaono, age 20, and born in Fiji, graduated from Samoana High School in 2024, and has declared a major of Health Science at ASCC. One of her instructors described Ms. Limaono as “kind, well-mannered and attentive”. According to the same instructor, “She is currently taking Biology 2 and Microbiology with me this semester, and she is one of my top students in both classes. It is rare to see a student handle two challenging science classes while maintaining such high performance.” In addition to her studies, Ms. Limaono also attends the Fijian Methodist Church. In the words of her Church Youth Leader, “This past year, she has really stepped up her involvement in our youth group, planning events, helping younger members with schoolwork, and pitching in with church functions. She remains a role model, consistently demonstrating strong character and integrity.”

ASCC Dean of Student Services Dr. Emilia Le'i congratulated this semester's four In-House Scholarship recipients, and encouraged applicants who were not selected to continue applying.

“The number of applicants for the In-House Scholarships is increasing,” she commented, “so we look more closely at the situation of each student. We're proud of how individuals of various nationalities make up our student body, so I encourage students born outside the US to continue applying for our SGA Non-Pell Scholarship.”

For both scholarships, the award takes the form of a $500 credit towards the recipient's tuition and fees at ASCC.

For more information on the ASCC In-House Scholarships, contact the Division of Student Services at 699-9155, ext. 0004.