A graduate of the American Samoa Community College, Hadassha Tofilau of Tafuna, is now a published author.
A scholarly essay she wrote, “Aquaculture: The Benefits of Aquaponics and Hydroponics in American Samoa,” was selected for publication from among over 600 works submitted by writers from two-year colleges across the nation.
The article appears in the “22nd edition of Nota Bene, the PTK literary anthology.
Ms Tofilau graduated Summa Cum Laude in spring 2016 from ASCC where she had also actively participated in the Alpha Epsilon Mu chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society.
She’s currently preparing to continue her college education at La Sierra University in California this fall.
Ms Tofilau said, “I wrote on Aquaponics and Hydroponics because we live in a time where the conversation on Global Warming and the impact it is having on the environment is at its peak,” reflected Hadassha.
“In the Pacific Islands, we see the effects of Global Warming first-hand, especially where our crops are concerned. It is not exactly a new concept to the island, but I felt its relevance needed to be reiterated because of the drastic changes our climate seems to be undergoing, and the future implications it could have on agriculture.”
Born in Apia, Hadassha has both Samoan and Indo-Fijian heritage from her parents Vincent and Nisha Tofilau.
PTK Advisor Kuki Tuiasossopo said, “I knew her as a very hard working student, and she was always able to challenge herself with new roles she was asked to take on, and always performed well in those roles.”
Ms. Tofilau did not really put much thought into whether or not she would be published.
She said, “In all honesty, I did not think I would be published so only one other person knew I had submitted my paper until just recently when the publication was set to print.
Writing has always been her passion, “so taking part in the Nota Bene competition was really just a way for me to test my own writing ability against other writers from across the United States. I would say having my work chosen is a great feeling and definitely a humbling and validating experience.”
Hadassha said, “The sciences have always been a strong point of interest for me.
“I am especially into Biology, particularly Microbiology, but I would not rule out Writing to see where it could take me in the future.”
