Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Lorrina Melanie Taiaopo Lee, a student at the South Pacific Academy, will be attending the National Youth Leadership Forum [NYLF]: Law & CSI, an Envision by WorldStride Program in Washington DC this month, after she applied and was accepted by the program, which is sponsored by the George Mason University of Virginia.

Of her application, according to Ms. Lee, “It is, I believe, a first-time opportunity offered to any senior student from the territory to attend and I am just thrilled to pieces with a thankful heart, I can attend.”

The program is for six days — beginning July 25th, 2021. She departs today from American Samoa.

According to the NYLF acceptance letter, the program is affiliated with the Judiciary Laws and Crime Scene Investigations, and is ideally suited for “students who are interested in the complex worlds of law and crime scene investigations.”

Prominent figures in Law and CSI will be lecturers and hosts during the six-day schedule of events, and students will be able to “take part in simulations that mirror true scenarios.”

Workshops include the Petitioner and Respondent Workshop, the Judicial Workshop, and the Forensic Workshop — all focused on skills in analyzing evidence, using legal reasoning, and making decisions.

“You will gain insight into the complex world of crime scene investigation (CSI) when taking on the role of either a prosecutor, defense attorney, crime scene investigator, or juror in a simulation that runs from crime scene to trial,” the letter notes.

Tours of Capitol Hill, US Supreme Court, Smithsonian, National Mall, and the National Museum of Natural History and National Air & Space Museum, etc. are also a part of the schedule of program events.

A meeting with Congresswoman Uifaatali Aumua Amata Radewagen is also on the agenda.

Ms Lee is an incoming senior at the South Pacific Academy. She is the 2021-2022 National Student Council President and Senior Class Secretary. She is the National Honor Society Historian and the Health Occupational Students of America (HOSA) Historian.

She is also a member of the Le Taupou Manaia Dance Academy, and is affiliated with the NOAA Marine Debris Program.

Ms. Lee would like to thank everyone who has supported her, especially her mother Tuifa’asisina Korina Seiuli Lee and her grandmother Pauna Saufatu Lee. She includes her Le Taupou Manaia family, her friends and teachers, as well as local businesses and all others who donated to making this journey possible.

“Without the people who stood behind me and supported me, I would not be where I am going today. This is a God given opportunity and I am willing to take on what it takes to make the most of it.

“Please send a little prayer for my trials of going alone all the way to the capitol. Thank you, Mom, this is for you and grandma, without your hand in it all, I wouldn’t be blessed to go on and explore the Law & CSI starters world. I love you,” she said.