Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Mikaela Saelua, the first Samoan-born and bred local teacher to become one of the four finalists for the prestigious 2025 National Teacher of the Year Award, has been honored by the Fono through a concurrent resolution.

Introduced by Fofo Senator Olo Uluao Letuli, the resolution was unanimously passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The measure commends 2024 Territorial Teacher of the Year Mikaela Aigamaua Saelua for being nominated as one of the four finalists for the 2025 National Teacher of the Year.

Ms. Mikaela Aigamaua Saelua, daughter of Honorable Representative Fiu Johnny Saelua and Catherine Aigamaua Saelua of Leone, is a proud graduate of Leone High School - Home of the Mighty Lions, Class of 2008, the resolution began.

It then went on to highlight her journey in higher education which started at the University of California, Los Angeles where she graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, minoring in Asian American Studies.

After graduation, Mikaela returned home and began teaching at Tafuna High School for a year before transferring to her Alma Mater, Leone High School. After just one year of teaching English at LHS, she was selected as the English Language Arts English Department Head for her dedicated and impactful work with her students and among the colleagues of her department.

She is also active in leadership and advisory roles in clubs and organizations on campus such as the LHS Peer Leaders Club, LHS Accreditation Team, and the LHS Forestry Club to name a few.

In 2019, Mikaela was selected as a fellow of the National Pacific American Leadership Institute whose mission states, "to identify, train, and nurture Pacific American Emerging Leaders." It is one of the only leadership programs in the nation that integrates the leadership values of Pacific American cultures and western society.

In 2020, she was selected as fellow of the Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP) which serves as a premier leadership development program for government employees throughout the US affiliated Pacific Islands.

By 2021, Mikaela returned to the classroom herself and earned her Master's of Education in Curriculum Studies with a focus on culturally responsive, Pacific, place-based SETAM subjects from the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

Mikaela was chosen as Leone High School's 2022 - 2023 Teacher of the Year and then also earned American Samoa's Territorial Teacher of the Year in October of 2024. She then submitted her application for the distinguished National Teacher of the Year Award which is an acclaimed program that elevates selected educators from across the US states, territories, the District of Columbia and Department of Defense.

On January 30, 2025, the Council of Chief State School Officers announced that Mikaela Saelua was one of the finalists for the 2025 National Teacher of the Year Award.

The Legislature honors and congratulates Mikaela Aigamaua Saelua for this distinguished achievement as one of our Territory's exceptiuonal teachers whose example will inspire many to follow suit to be committed, innovative and passionate educators for the future generations of our Territory, the resolution concluded.

This past Wednesday in the House of Representatives, Mikaela's father Represenative Fiu Johnny Saelua expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Fono for the concurrent resolution honoring his daughter's achievements.