Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Tafuna High School class of 2014 valedictorian Nerisa Vee Taua still keeps her nose in the books.

Currently attending Chaminade University majoring in environmental studies, Taua is a senior who has received a full-ride scholarship to pursue her master’s degree at Purdue University this fall.

Her ultimate goal: To become an advocate and expert on endangered species in American Samoa.

“I was always interested in caring for animals. However, my passion for the conservation of endangered species grew even more during my undergraduate years. With what I learned, I came to realize the importance of the ecosystem and everything within it,” Taua told Samoa News.

She said bats became her main interest after she participated in a summer research opportunity at Purdue University.

“I was content with doing research on bats because I knew certain bat species were one of the very few native mammals in American Samoa. I value where I come from and therefore, I believe it is a must for me (and everyone) to be stewards of the environment that raised me (us). One way I can do so is by becoming an advocate on endangered species in American Samoa, which I am passionate about,” she said.

She told Samoa News via-email this week the reason she wants to go to grad school is, of course, to further her education and get more opportunities.

“Currently, my goal is to complete graduate school at Purdue University. My ultimate goal is to return home with gained expertise, knowledge, and experiences to work with the native bat species of American Samoa,” Taua said.

“I want to offer mentorship. This is something I value because it has gotten me further in my academic career and I believe it can help others. I want to be able to provide guidance and help for the next generation. Even if it is for the simplest things such as college applications,” she continued.

According to her school records, Taua’s acceptance and offer came in the first week of February from Purdue’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, where she will be studying Wildlife Science, specifically.

The American Samoa native developed ties with the university during the summer of 2017 when she interned with Dr. Patrick Zollner, associate professor of Wildlife Science, at Purdue’s bat lab.

Prior to participating in the Summer Research Opportunity Program at Purdue in Indiana, Taua was unsure of the career path she wanted pursue. But her internship at the bat lab uncovered her passion for endangered species. Her summer research involved finding more efficient and cost-effective bat-capturing techniques.

Along with Dr. Zollner and his team of undergraduate and graduate student researchers, Taua utilized acoustic monitors and echolocation to determine the best location to capture Indiana and northern long-eared bats. Since the summer, Taua has been the primary author of a manuscript documenting her research. She hopes to publish her findings in May.

Coincidentally, our territory has its own fruit bat that Taua is now eager to protect. She has already made plans with her graduate program to attend classes on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus in the fall and return home in the spring to study the fruit bats.

“We don’t have many scientists on island; we need people to come down to help with wildlife conservation,” she said.

“We always have to ask people from the mainland to come down because we don’t really have that many Samoans in the field. So my ultimate goal is to come up with new data and new information about a native Samoan species and make it available to the public, especially back home, and to be the person they call when they need help with conservation management or endangered species.”

Even though Purdue is a predominantly white institution with few Pacific Islanders, Taua felt right at home at the university’s Native American Education Cultural Center, where she met other minority students – mostly Native Americans – who were instrumental in making her feel welcomed and accepted.

Taua has been accepted as a Sloan Scholar (most recipients are of Native American descent) and will receive a stipend to fund her educational expenses beyond the nearly $30,000 annual tuition.

Upon receiving rejections from other summer research programs last year, Taua was encouraged by Dr. Gail Grabowsky (her long-time professor at Chaminade) and Patricia Lee-Robinson (an associate provost and director of the Office of Health Professions Advising and Undergraduate Research) to apply to Purdue since CUH has a partnership with the school.

Grabowsky and Lee-Robinson are just a couple of the influential connections that Taua has made at CUH over the last four years.

Taua’s proud mother Miriana Vee told Samoa News their whole family is proud of her daughter’s achievements.

Taua will be graduating with her BA from Chaminade University next Monday, May 14th.