College students of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) heritage are severely underrepresented in higher education, with a smaller percentage going to college compared to other ethnic groups. The goal of attending an Ivy League college may seem out of reach for many NHPI students in Utah, who are thinking about their future. But a local NHPI couple, who have children that have achieved this feat, are now coaching other teens to beat the odds too. According to a 2019 report by APIA Scholars, 47 percent of the Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander population in the United States has attended college. Out of the sub-groups, 42.1 percent of Samoans, 43.2 percent of Tongans, 47 percent of Native Hawaiians, and 50.7 percent of Guamanians or Chamorros have enrolled in some form of post-secondary education. At elite schools such as Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, and Yale, Pacific Islanders make up even a smaller fraction of the student population. At Harvard University, for example, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students only made up 0.119 percent of the student population in 2017, according to Data USA. Getting into a top-ranked university is a difficult process, as the competition is so rigorous. So what can NHPI students do to increase their chances of getting accepted? Malia Isaacs, a Senior at Jordan High School joined ABC4's Rosie Nguyen on the CW30 News at 7 p.m. for an IN FOCUS discussion about her story on becoming "Harvard material" and her journey to getting accepted to the Ivy League school. Alema and Geraldine Fitisemanu, co-founders of the Manuia Group discussed the barriers and gaps that exist for NHPI students, how they help these teens craft their applications to stand out in a pool of competitive Ivy League applications, and when parents should start thinking about preparing their children for college.

Stanford-At-Sea is a study abroad program. A course for credit where Stanford students learn to be researchers studying the ocean, taking samples, collecting data, as well as learning how to sail the Pacific Ocean. Our son Alema, a student at Stanford, got to take this course. The trip started with a month of training in Monterey CA. Then the class and its professors flew to Papeete Tahiti, where they were united with their sail boat. They sailed from Tahiti to the Cook Islands, then to Tonga, finishing off in Samoa. While in Tonga, they did an assembly at Liahona High School on Tongatapu. Our son got to speak to 800 Liahona students. He said to the students "I was once in your shoes! I attended Church College of Samoa. You can do what I am doing. You can go to an incredible school like Stanford." After the assembly, they expressed their gratitude by performing a "sasa" for the visitors to enjoy. We will post a new video every Friday. Join us as we talk about Family, Faith and Education. To learn more about us: CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Website: https://www.manuialife.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ManuiaLife Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManuiaLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manuigroup

How Our Kids Got Into Harvard and Stanford Alema and Geraldine Fitisemanu talk about how they got their kids into Harvard and Stanford. #ManuiaLife

Nafanua reads her admission letter from Harvard University. #ManuiaLife