Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Last Friday, June 23, 2023 at the Tradewinds Hotel McDonald’s- American Samoa awarded $56,000 in scholarships to four local recipients — two are graduates of  ASCC who will be going off island to further their education and two are High School graduates who will be studying at ASCC.

The off island scholarships of $20,000 each go to

•           Janella Musni who graduated magna cum laude from ASCC and will be attending University of Portland majoring in accounting. Her goal is becoming  a certified public accountant and returning home to operate a local accounting firm.

•           Ualesi Mua who graduated cum laude from ASCC has been accepted to Southern Utah University and will be majoring in criminal justice. He plans to return home and work as a law enforcement officer for the government.

The two local scholarships of $8,000 each are awarded to:

•   Lahaina Mulitalo, The class of 2023 Co-Valedictorian of Fagaitua High School plans to major in nursing to pursue a medical career.
• Misionare Feleti who graduated from Manumalo High School. 
will be studying Liberal Arts.

President and CEO of McDonald’s American Samoa, Charlie Tautolo initiated the scholarship program after seeing the need to provide opportunities for students so that they can continue to chase their dreams. Since its inception in 2016 McDonald’s has awarded $630,000 in scholarships to over 50 students.

The awards presentation was attended by parents, members of the McDonald’s Scholarship Board and company management.

Rev. Sanerivi Multalo opened the ceremony and Vice President and Board Chairwoman, Dolores Tautolo spoke on behalf of the company to congratulate the recipients and their parents for their dedications and hard-work.