Islanders offer tips for success

1. Victor Narsimulu — Professor

Fijian native Victor Narsimulu wants every parent to be aware of how to advance their child's education.

"The most important thing is education and understanding and being able to have a voice at parent teacher meetings at policies that are passed," said Narsimulu, an adjunct professor at the University of Utah. "Not just Polynesian communities but communities as a whole."

Narsimulu is working on a doctoral degree at the U. and plans to address inequity in schools.

He compared the immigration process in America to baking a cake. He said those who came to America 100 years ago are like the people who have all the right ingredients and start the cake early. He said figuring out how to navigate the system is vital to immigrants.

"We need to provide them with the best education now," Narsimulu said. "At the end of the day, if these kids aren't educated now, it will influence the kind of America we want in the future."

2. Lornalei Meredith — Law student

Lornalei Meredith wants all Pacific Islanders to learn to shoot for the stars, and that the only person who can really stop them is themselves.

"My advice would be to try for things," said Meredith, a third-year law student at BYU, "and to let other people tell you no. To not get down on yourself before you even try."

Meredith was born in American Tonga and raised in Samoa, where she learned her Samoan culture is rich in history and was under the guidance of parents who always wanted her to get the best opportunities. She graduated from BYU with a degree in English, went to Tonga to teach English for a couple of years and came back to Utah to pursue her law degree. She said remembering her culture is one of the most important parts of learning in America.

"There are some things I guess I took for granted with my culture," Meredith said. "Everyday I'm reminded."

3. Sita Jasper — Businesswoman

When Sita Jasper ventured out to start her own warehouse distribution business, the Samoan/Chinese woman began in her basement with three employees and two customers to a corporation with 40 employees and 150 customers.

"I believed I had some ideas for how to best serve customers' warehousing and delivery needs, but since I had never ventured out on my own, I wasn't so sure how it would unfold," Jasper said on her company's website qdislc.com. "Taking that first step and just doing it was a bit frightening."