“Samoans in Postcolonial Literature,” was the topic of the doctoral thesis that was successfully defended by Johnny Victor Toma, who earns the distinction of being the first Samoan to be conferred a doctorate from Georgetown University in Washington DC.
In May he graduated with a Doctor of Liberal Studies (D.L.S.) degree from Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies. It took him about 5 years to complete, since he works full time and took one course per semester in the evenings.
Toma’s 106-page thesis examined European representations of Samoan people and culture and then turned to ways that Samoan writers “wrote back” to those external voices since the latter part of the 20th century.
Novels and other literary works by well known Samoan writers such as Albert Wendt, Sia Figel, Ruperake Petaia, John Kneubuhl, Peter Nathaniel Malae, Dan Taulapapa McMullin and Lani Wendt Young, were carefully selected for analysis.
Dr. Toma explained that his research uncovered what the Samoans themselves thought about the “white” intruders and how their interactions affected their lives and future.
“Little did we know and appreciate about the magnitude and gravity of the disruptions and traumatic experiences of those Samoans who lived during the colonial period. Our ancestors navigated the dangerous expanse of the Pacific Ocean 3,000 years ago to inhabit the islands of Polynesia. We survived the colonial regimes of Germany, Great Britain, the United States and New Zealand in the 19th and 20th centuries and, despite being a tiny minority in the world, we have made major contributions in all areas of life and industry,” he said.
Dr. Toma is the Deputy Director of Finance and Administration for the Basic Science departments and the Biomedical Graduate programs at Georgetown University Medical Center. His Georgetown career began when he attended the 1992 Junior Statesmen Summer Program at Georgetown University on a scholarship after his sophomore year at Samoana High School. He has served in different roles as a member of the staff there since 2001.
His doctorate is the pinnacle of what has been an outstanding educational journey for the native of Pago Pago. He graduated from Matafao Elementary with top honors in 1990 and was the co-valedictorian of Samoana High School’s Class of 1994. He graduated summa cum laude from Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, with an Associate of Science degree in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.
He earned his Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (M.A.L.S.) degree from Georgetown University in 2011, in which he was inducted into the Theta Alpha Kappa National Honor Society for Religious Studies and Theology. In 2014, he earned his Corporate International Masters degree with three executive business diplomas from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business in Washington, D.C., the FGV Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and the ESADE Business School in Madrid, Spain. His thesis was about finding ways to improve the economy of American Samoa.
Dr. Toma is the eldest son of John Kolio Toma of Auckland, New Zealand; and Velonika Nikolao of Pago Pago, American Samoa.
Congratulations!
