Caption: Dr. Faofua Fa'atoafe (second right) and her students present an ASCC t-shirt to Ms. Afega Mariner, their guide to company operations at Tasti, a New Zealand business specializing in cereal products. The group spent nine days in New Zealand observing various industries. (Courtesy Photo)

Over a three-month period of fundraising, careful budget planning, and seeking contributions from friends and family, Dr. Fa’atoafe and students Grace Iele, Krystalene Sauafe, Jacqueline Kolone, Leua Luavasa, Bingham Masini, Danis Allen, Shane Merz-Siavi’i, Tyrone Atuatasi and William Kaleopa raised their own finances to visit New Zealand.  Once they reached the “Land of the Long White Cloud,” they kept to a busy itinerary of touring a different company each day.

Their stops included the Tip Top Ice Cream Factory; poultry producers Tegel Foods; The New Zealand Herald newspaper; Auckland Meat Processor, one of the country’s main suppliers of cow, pig and sheep meat for products, such as Hellaby’s Corned Beef; Unitech Industries, which produces a wide range of products ranging from vitamins to infant formula to pet foods; and Tasti, a producer of cereal, cereal bars and fruit bars. “The industries in New Zealand proved an eye-opener for the students in a number of ways,” recalled Dr. Fa’atoafe. “They had never seen so much diversity in the work force, with so many ethnic groups working together. Of course, they noticed the many Samoans and other Pacific islanders who contribute to the country’s economy.”

Besides taking a walking tour of the production lines, the students also learned about each company’s history and management styles. Each company provided their American Samoan guests with their mission statement, marketing strategy, and organizational chart. “We got exposure to a wide variety of business strategies, and we saw a lot of the concepts from the classroom applied in real situations,” said ASCC student Krystalene Sauafe. “As part of our class requirement, we each have to come up with our own Business Plan, and seeing how these New Zealand companies operate has opened up a lot of new ideas we can apply to this.” Since each company assigned a staff member to act as a host for Dr. Faatoafe and her students, as an expression of thanks, the visitors made a gift of an ASCC t-shirt to each of their guides.

While the ASCC contingent made the educational aspect of their trip their top priority, at the end of each day they found themselves with some free time to experience the attractions of Auckland and Wellington. They also enjoyed the hospitality of New Zealand’s many Samoan residents. “We made contact with members of the Samoan communities in both cities,” said Dr. Fa’atoafe, “and on several occasions they would visit us with gifts or invite us to their homes. This really made us feel welcome, and gave us a chance to practice our culture in a foreign land. One student had aiga in Auckland who wanted her to visit with them, but I had to keep to our policy that no student could venture away from the group unattended. As their solution, my student’s aiga invited the whole group of us over!” 

The theme of sharing their experiences with family continued upon the group’s return to home, when they organized a “thank you” dinner on the ASCC campus for their parents, in acknowledgement of their support. For this special occasion last week, Dr. Fa’atoafe and her students organized a power point slide show which showcased their many experiences during their journey. Summing up the journey, Dr. Fa’atoafe explained, “With the effect these experiences will have on the students’ futures, I see the trip as a way to measure positive Student Learning Outcomes, and to connect classroom teaching to the community and the world of work. These Student Learning Outcomes can last them for a lifetime.”

Dr. Faatoafe and her students with to personally thank ASCC President Dr. Adele Satele-Galea’i, Mrs. Elisapeta Faalafi-Jones, Dr, Repeka Ala’imoana-Nu’usa, Chief Fiamalua Mataio, Mr. Otto Hansel, Pres. Gary Arye of ANZ Bank, Blue Sky Administration, Mrs. Carol Galeai, Mr. Milton Atuatasi, Mr. Danny Vakasiula, Ms. Robin Annesley, Mr. and Mrs. Ionatana and Margaret Maafala,  Mrs. Clara Reid, Mrs. Glenna Magalei, Mr. Viliamu Laupati, Mrs. Luaao Wasko, Rep. Charlie Tautolo, Mrs. Aloiafi Kaleopa, Mr. and Mrs. Kuang, Mrs. Mali, Director Sotoa Savali, Mr. Mataese Mataese, Mr. Lam Yuen Jr, Mr. Richard Ott, Mrs. Faaui Ve'e, Mr. Dakota Sofa, Mrs. Julie Ekeroma Faalogo, Mr. Tee, Rep. Akapo Jr., Chief Ufuti F. Ieremia, Island Pawn and Gift Shop, Young Mart, T.S.M Mart, Crown Pacific Company, the ASCC faculty, staff and students, and especially the parents of the nine students who traveled for making the trip possible.

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