Association Launches Scholarship Award

ASCC Press Release Wednesday, April 20, 2011

ASCC Matai Alumni Association Launches Scholarship Award

By James Kneubuhl, ASCC Press Officer

At a ceremony this past weekend the Matai Alumni Association of the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) presented its first scholarship award of $500 to Areta Ropeti Areta, a music major at the College. Alumni Association President Lefua Amio Magaeva-Luvu explained that the new scholarship, which the organization hopes to award each semester, is intended to assist students attending ASCC who do not qualify for the Pell Grant and other federal assistance available to most American Samoa residents.

Applicants for the scholarship must have completed 24 credit hours at ASCC with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better, completed English 90/91 and Math 80, be attending school full time, and not be the recipient of any other in-house scholarship. “It’s a testament to the quality of our programs that students from overseas, especially from neighboring Samoa, choose to attend ASCC,” said Mavaega-Luvu, “but the cost for them to do so is much higher than for American Samoa residents, so with this scholarship we hope to give talented non-Pell students an extra chance to succeed.”

A longstanding organization at the College, the Matai Alumni Association participates in a number of projects as part of its mission to provide support for the intellectual, cultural and social advancement of ASCC students and to foster a spirit of unity and networking among its members. Each semester, the Association coordinates with the Math, English, Science and Samoan Studies department heads to present awards to present awards for excellence in those subjects at the Graduate Banquet. When the new ASCC Library was still under development, the Association undertook a radiothon and other fundraising activities to assist with its completion.

While the its membership currently numbers around 50 former ASCC students, Mavaega-Luvu explained that the Association relies primarily on the support of its business and private individual sponsors in the community to fund its graduation awards, including Peter Reid II & Ford Motors, GHC Reid and Company, KS Mart, and Falefatu Fainu'ulelei Alailima Utu and Family. “As our membership increases, we hope to offer additional scholarships to deserving ASCC students,” she said, “so I encourage any interested individuals to contact us through our on-campus Alumni Coordinator Mrs. Matesina Willis.”

Besides Mavaega-Luvu and Willis, officers in the Matai Alumni Association include Vice President Nunuimalo Apisaloma Toleafoa and Secretary/Treasurer Peteru Lam Yuen. The Association has a Facebook page, as well as a contact link on the ASCC website: www.amsamoa.edu.

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