‘A minority within a minority’: These Pacific Islander students found community in college

Leaving for college was hard for Maelani Gumataotao.

She was by herself for the first time. She was home sick and frequently FaceTimed her family who were miles away.

And as a first-generation student who transferred to Sacramento State from San Joaquin Delta College in 2021, she felt isolated while attending classes online due to the pandemic.

But even when she came to campus, surrounded by thousands of students, Gumataotao still felt disconnected. That changed when she found the Pacific Islanders United Club, where she found a second home.

“I just feel like I’m with my family. Even now when I go to meetings, I feel like I’m hanging out with my cousins,” Gumataotao said. “I’m learning about so many other cultures, because for Pacific Islanders, it’s not just one island or one area. It’s a whole bunch of different ones and dialects.”

Gumataotao, a third year student studying biology, is Native Hawaiian, Chamorro, Portuguese and Filipina. She is one of 287 Pacific Islander students at Sacramento State, where her community makes up 1% of the student population.

Spaces like this student group make a difference for Pacific Islander college students, where they are often one of the smallest populations within higher education settings, according to Equity in Higher Ed. In the U.S., Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiians make up 0.4% of the undergraduate population.

Pacific Islander students lack resources, scholarship opportunities

Alongside being underrepresented, Pacific Islander students often struggle because of financial restraints and other systematic barriers. Only 18% of Pacific Islanders hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in the U.S., according to the Pacific Matters for America.

This is where groups like the To’utupu ‘oe ‘Otu Felenite Association come in.

The name translates to Youth Leaders of the Pacific in “an ancient Pacific Islander language” said Lisa Hafoka, the organization’s president. The Sacramento-based group is most commonly known as TOFA and has offered scholarships to Pacific Islanders students for more than 20 years.

“Our hope is that whatever educational journey they pursue, we see them achieve success and be a successful contributing member of society,” said Eliza Crocker, chair of TOFA’s scholarship program.

While TOFA has supported Pacific Islander students for decades, there still isn’t enough support across higher education, Crocker said.

Often Pacific Islanders are lumped into predominately Asian groups and subsequently left behind or left out, she said.

“We’re a minority within a minority,” said Crocker, who is of Tongan descent.

Pacific Islander students need representation, financial support and, most importantly, recognition, she said.

“Sometimes students don’t qualify for a lot of scholarships that could be available to them. It’s just about getting people to see us a group,” Crocker said.

Only 25% complete their degree in four years, according to the Campaign for College Opportunity. In six years, the completion rate is higher at 48%.

Jayda Mauga, a fourth year liberal studies major at Sacramento State, was awarded $1,000 last year from TOFA. She was one of 10 scholarship recipients. For her, the scholarship made a “huge contribution.” She used the money to pay rent and additional tuition fees.

Mauga, who is Samoan, now serves as president of the Pacific Islanders United club. She said there’s little Pacific Islander representation, and overall there’s still “more work to do” to serve Pacific Islander communities in higher education.

“Being in college is one thing, but graduating is another,” Mauga said. “It’s a push for a lot of students. I feel like they’re still a lot of people lost or trying to succeed.”

Representation makes the difference

As a student, Crocker advocated for a Pacific Islander Studies program. However, the idea fell through without faculty to teach the course.

Crocker even considered going to graduate school so she could teach the program when recruiting faculty didn’t pan out, but “it just didn’t happen,” she said.

Despite this, the push for Pacific Islander representation at CSU Sacramento didn’t stop with Crocker.

In 2017, when she was a master’s student in the political science department, Frances Palu received a TOFA scholarship that covered the costs of software and training books for a mandatory course. If it weren’t for the financial support, Palu said her graduation date would have been delayed.

While attending CSU Sacramento in 2012 for her undergraduate degree, Palu, who is Samoan and Tongan, said she was one of three Pacific Islander students in her program. Even while pursuing her master’s degree, she was one of just a few Pacific Islander students, an experience she described as “disheartening.”

Palu decided to changed that.

She became a liaison for Pacific Islander students with help from Asian and Pacific Islander faculty.

After graduation, she was hired as a staff member for the Office of the Vice President of Advancement. There, she prioritized Pacific Islander students and recruitment at high schools and community colleges.

“I was going to find all the Pacific Islanders,” she said. “Whoever I came in contact with, whoever I saw or heard about, I made it my goal to go to them and introduce myself.”

She volunteered with the university’s Full Circle Project, an support program for first-year Asian and Pacific Islander students and put together a Pacific Islander education conference for middle, high school and college students. Palu said she wanted to create a pathway for Pacific Islander students into higher education.

While she is no longer working at CSU Sacramento, Palu now serves as a board member for TOFA.

With a growing Pacific Islander population, alumni like Crocker are hopeful for the future. CSU Sacramento opened an Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Center last year, the university is now recognized as a Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander serving institution, and every year there is a API College Day, typically held in March.

But the work to support Pacific Islander students isn’t over. Community outreach continues with each new generation of students, like Gumataotao and Mauga.

“For me, it’s exciting to see their educational journey and hoping the best for them,” Crocker said.