“So the more aware they are of [Samoans], then they would have, I would say, more respect for us, because I know within our cultures and most of our families and within the Samoan community, just Samoans in general around the world, the issue of respect is a big deal: respect for our elders, respect for each other, respect for ourselves.”
“It was just two of us [Samoans] there on campus. Who’d figure we’d run into each other? And from then on, it kind of like, I was okay. I was set just to continue, just, you know, finish our work.”
Taituuga Samoa Anesi Koria is a UCSD alum who studied Urban Studies and Planning from 1978 to 1988 as a student of Third College. In his time at UCSD, he was involved with the Asian and Pacific Islander Student Alliance (APSA) and the Asian American Studies Committee (AASC). After UCSD, he pursued a 30-year career in education and continued to actively educate others about Pacific Islander culture and identity. In 1996, he served as the first San Diego Pacific Islander Festival (PIFA) president and continues to be involved in organizing through The Samoa Association San Diego.
This interview discusses Koria’s involvement at UCSD and within the greater San Diego community. Koria offers insight into the value of education as a form of activism, highlighting the importance of cross-generational wisdom and the power of story-telling in spreading awareness. He hopes that more programs will continue to expand and better serve Pacific Islander communities.
The interview was conducted over Zoom by Malea Van Brocklin on February 22, 2024 as part of the GROW Winter 2024 course project. Malea Van Brocklin (she/her) is a second-year undergraduate student studying Applied Mathematics.
