2021 PILOT Cohort
Please meet the wonderful young people who made up our 2021 cohort.
Ruta Faifaiese
Hey everybody, I'm Ruta Faifaiese, she/her pronouns. A hope of mine is to inspire Indigenous Pacific students, along with other students of color, through my words of spoken word poetry as a way to demonstrate one of my forms of student activism. So excited to be part of PILOT!
Patricia Gasaiwai
Bula Vinaka! My name is Patricia Marica Tagilala Gasaiwai. I am a 4th year Media and Cultural Studies major at UC Riverside. I currently work for Asian Pacific Student Programs as a Student Program Coordinator and I am the President of Pacific Islander Student Association.
Orisi Lalabalavu
Bula all, My name is Ratu Orisi Lalabalavu, but I just go by Orisi.
I was born in Fiji and grew up in different parts of California, but my hometown is Sacramento, CA.
I am a UC Berkeley student, who is majoring in Anthropology and Social Welfare.
Keoni Rodriguez
Keoni Rodriguez is a Hawaiian student at Stanford (BA ʻ22, MAʻ23) and WCC (AA ʻ23). Dedicated to the revitalization of Pacific Islander histories, stories and futurities, they are the eldest of four siblings of John and Laryna Rodriguez, they were born and raised in San Diego, CA
Seini Tuita
My name is Seini Tuita and I am a Tongan, Bay Area native residing in Hayward, CA. I am mother to my beautiful Nenase and am an undergrad student studying Sociology. I currently work as a Health Navigator for the Pacific Islander Wellness Initiative.
Fa’afatiatama’i Folau
Fa’afatiatama’i Puapae Folau is of Samoan descent. She is a recent graduate from UCLA as a History major (Pacific Studies). Her hobbies include playing the ukulele and the keyboard. Folau will continue her voyage at the University of Utah for her Masters in History (Pacific Studies).
Joy Kavapalu
Joy is a senior studying Health, Society and Policy and International Studies at the University of Utah. As a daughter of Tongan-Fijian immigrants, Joy is passionate about helping fellow underrepresented students access higher education and engage in community-based work.
Gabby Lupola
Hafa Adai! My name is Gabby Lupola (she/her) I am Chamorro and Italian, a recent Pomona College graduate, and live in Oceanside, CA. I am excited to share space with my PILOT cohort as I start my journey at UCLA in the fall to get my Master's in Asian American Studies.
Marianne Siulangapo
Marianne (Nane) Siulangapo was born in Yelamu (San Francisco) on the unceded territory of the Ohlone people to two Tongan immigrants. She is finishing her second year at the College of San Mateo where she is interested in ethnic studies and history. She aspires to be a teacher.
Henrietta Fonua
Hello! My name is Henrietta Fonua. I am approaching my fourth year at UC Davis, and am majoring in Human Development with a minor in Psychology. I am Tongan and Sāmoan, raised here in the States. I am excited to learn and unlearn to help our PI community grow and further develop!
Seiko Keleb
Seiko F. Joseph Keleb is a Marshallese student attending Whitworth University. She loves helping others, which lead to her involvement in programs like the Blood Bank of Hawai’i. She is proud of her Pacific Islander heritage and she strives to always advocate for her people.
Malia Mau
Hello, I’m Malia Mau.
My pronouns are she/her/hers, my roots come from the island of Tonga, I am currently a fourth-year transfer student transitioning to my fifth year at UC Riverside majoring in Ethnic Studies and minoring in Media & Cultural Studies.
Vicente Taijeron
Vicente Preciardo Blas Taijeron is an indigenous CHamoru from the island of Guåhan (Guam). He is currently a rising sophomore at Colorado College and is passionate about fostering spaces that promote collaboration amongst Pacific Islanders.