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Alofaituli family opens up scholarship award eligibility to local students

This year, the Alofaituli family is opening up their scholarship program to students of American Samoa who plan to attend a four-year university in the fall of 2017. Two scholarships are up for grabs: one for $1,000 and another for $500. [photo: courtesy]
“Ia finafinau mo mea lelei”
blue@samoanews.com

With graduation season looming and college bound teens looking for financial resources to help with the cost of pursuing a college degree, the Alofaituli family has announced that their annual scholarship program is now open to American Samoa students.

All Pacific islanders residing in California, Hawai’i, or American Samoa who are high school seniors planning to enroll in a four-year university later this year are eligible to apply.

The Taito and Ruta Alofaituli Scholarship program was established in November 2008 and is a private scholarship to be awarded each year in the amount of $500 and $1000 to two lucky recipients. “It is our hope that this scholarship will help to communicate our story to other Samoan families, and to continue the legacy that Taito and Ruta started in our home,” said the couple’s children.

BACKGROUND

Taito and Ruta Alofaituli are the personification of the American Dream. The two are both immigrants from American Samoa who got married in Harbor City, California in 1972 and had 4 children — Kaisalina, Gwendolyn, Brian, and Kipeni. 

According to their children, Taito and Ruth created a stable and loving environment for their family, teaching them morals and values consistent with their Samoan culture and Christian upbringing.   

The couple worked outside the home and dedicated most of their free time to their church, the Samoan Congregational Church in Carson, CA.

“They worked very hard to provide for their children and extended family, and recognized the benefits of higher education in the work environment. They were determined to put their children through college and emphasized its importance very early on.”

The couple had three children in college at the same time, and Taito and Ruta discouraged them from getting a job to help pay for school.

“They didn't want the distraction and because they had the wisdom to ensure that their children start their careers debt free, they did not allow them to take out student loans. They sacrificed a lot and managed to provide their children with a comfortable lifestyle and a college degree to get them started with their adult life.”

Their son Brian, who informed Samoa News about the scholarship program, is currently a PhD candidate, Department of History, at the University of Hawaii in Manoa.

Taito Alofaituli retired in 2004 from the paint manufacturing industry and Ruta Alofaituli is an entrepreneur and owner of Quality Image Inc. in Paramount, CA. Their free time is spent enjoying their grandchildren.

CRITERIA

All applicants must complete a scholarship application in full and submit all the required documents by the indicated date on the application. Incomplete or illegible applications will not be considered. Applications are only available for download at <www.alofaitulischolarship.org>

Applicants must submit completed applications by email to: alofaitulischolarship@gmail.com to be considered for the scholarship.

A confirmation email notification will be sent to the applicant once the application is received by the scholarship committee. If you're experiencing technical difficulties with the website, feel free to submit details using the CONTACT US tab.

The scholarship is open to graduating high school seniors who plan to enroll in college in the fall of 2017.  Applicants must be California, Hawai'i or American Samoa residents and at least one parent must be of Pacific Island descent.

Pacific Islanders are defined as natives or inhabitants of any of the Polynesian, Micronesian, or Melanesian islands of Oceania.

There is no minimum GPA or SAT score.

Relatives of Taito and Ruta Alofaituli are not eligible to apply for the scholarship. (This only applies to first and second cousins to Taito and Ruta Alofaituli's children.)

The scholarship committee will select their awardees based on merit and academic goals, and notification will be made by telephone or e-mail. Once the awardees are selected he/she will be required to submit the following for application verification: 

            •           SAT or ACT score report

            •           High School Transcripts (unofficial or official); and

            •           Copy of acceptance letter to a 4-year college or university

The names of the official awardees will be announced after verification is complete.

Some students who have benefited from the Taito and Ruta Alofaituli Scholarship program include two students pursuing medicine and mechanical engineering at the University of Southern California, another student pursuing a degree in occupational therapy at California State University Dominguez Hills, one studying business at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and a female student studying economics at the University of California, Irvine.