#Thessa white full#

MalauвЂ™ulu, alongside fellow Asian American and Pacific Islander Division 1 softball players, coaches girls as young as 8 years old in the clinic вЂ“ her way of giving back to the community and impacting the younger generation. вЂњWeвЂ™re a bunch of little girls coming up to the field who are Polynesian who donвЂ™t know too much about softball but are getting into it for the first time.вЂќ

вЂњWhen I knew that I was going to be able to play at that next level and UCLA came into the picture, my dad was like, вЂMaybe we should do this for softball players as well,вЂ™вЂќ MalauвЂ™ulu said. But with MalauвЂ™ulu headed to play softball at the collegiate level, the sport became the next camp. вЂњI take pride in all the different backgrounds I am, but I am more Samoan than anything else,вЂќ MalauвЂ™ulu said вЂњSo I hold that really close to my heart.вЂќДЄlong with organizing football bowl games and showcases in front of college coaches, the organization hosts clinics for adolescents to improve their skills.ДЇor years, the foundation was dedicated to just football.

#Thessa white full#

Thessa MalauвЂ™ulu said her fatherвЂ™s full Samoan roots have guided her aspirations beyond her athletic career. (Kaiya Pomeroy-Tso/Daily Bruin senior staff) Malau'ulu and her cousins participate in the AIGA Foundation, whose name means 'family' in the Samoan language. Sophomore infielder Thessa Malau'ulu picks up a bat. The foundation, whose name means вЂњfamilyвЂќ in Samoan and stands for вЂњAll Islands Getting Along,вЂќ was co-created by George MalauвЂ™ulu. With her cousins, MalauвЂ™ulu participates in the AIGA Foundation вЂ“ a nonprofit organization that aids student-athletes from the contiguous United States, Hawaii and American Samoa in their quest to compete collegiately. Her father George MalauвЂ™ulu played quarterback at Arizona, her aunt Miya played volleyball at Oregon State and her uncle Arnold donned the blue and gold as a football player. Together with Tautalafua, MalauвЂ™ulu comes from a family full of athletes.

And I was like, вЂI wish I could go to UCLA,вЂ™ and sheвЂ™s like, вЂYou can.вЂ™ So she would give me her old UCLA gloves. вЂњOne of my cousins was actually here вЂ“ Brianna Tautalafua. вЂњI didnвЂ™t realize how much I looked up to my older cousinsвЂ™ playing until now,вЂќ MalauвЂ™ulu said. Similarly to Faraimo, MalauвЂ™ulu said the interactions take her back to her childhood. вЂњYou can see the kidsвЂ™ eyes light up when they see us. вЂњIt means the world to me,вЂќ Faraimo said. Two Bruins caught in the crowd are redshirt junior pitcher Megan Faraimo and sophomore infielder Thessa MalauвЂ™ulu. Win or lose, members of the UCLA softball team file through the blue barricades in an orderly fashion, signing autographs and snapping pictures. The interview concludes with a discussion of WeitzвЂ™s post-retirement career, including several notable recognitions she received from the French government for her scholarship related to France and French women.A line of young girls waits for the Bruins to emerge from the clubhouse after every home game. She discusses the universityвЂ™s dramatic growth, demographic changes, and the creation of international campuses in Madrid, Spain and Dakar, Senegal.

Weitz describes her campus involvement which ranged from reshaping her department and its educational offerings, supporting students from all backgrounds, to convening international conferences at Suffolk. She begins with a description of her experiences growing up as child during the Great Depression and her Fulbright experiences in France which inspired her seminal research into women in the French Resistance. Margaret Collins Weitz, professor emerita and former chair of Suffolk UniversityвЂ™s Humanities and Modern Languages Department, discusses her non-traditional path into academia, her research, and her career at Suffolk.