Leni Halaapiapi

My name is Leni Halaapiapi and I am originally from Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. My father immigrated from Tonga to come to the US where he met my mother. After they met, my birth soon followed. I am currently a senior, graduating in the spring with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.

 

My whole life I’ve been stereotyped for being big and scary and only good for sports and entertainment. As a Polynesian, I have never been seen as an intellectual. My passion and drive is to break that stereotype. I want to show people that Polynesians can be intellectuals, and that Polynesian people can do big things other than sports and entertainment. As of right now I have a 3.563 GPA, a member of the McNair Scholars Program, a SOLVER scholar, a Washington State Opportunity Scholar, Academic Chair for 2 organizations on campus, and last year I was nominated as one of the top 25 students out of all campuses of CWU, that’s Ellensburg’s main campus combined with all satellite campuses. I was also selected by the Provost for the Vice-Presidential award. As a first-generation student and the oldest of 6, I’m trying to set the example for my family and all those who come after. I’m here to show people who come from my same background that they too can succeed. When I graduate from CWU, I am pursuing my Ph.D. in Computer Science. I have already received offers from two schools, so I am still deciding.

 

Some of the places I’ve traveled to are South Africa, Fiji, Florida, Utah, Louisiana, Georgia, Tonga, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, England, France, and all the west coast of the US.