Meet Fa'ana Fanene

Whitworth Cadre One
'07 Graduate (B.A. English)
Rogers High School '03

A Commandment from Jesus

In the book of Matthew, Jesus commands to Peter and Andrew, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Not long after this Jesus and his disciples gain many followers due to their ability to love and connect with all people. Fa'ana Fanene has always had a desire for two things: God, and relationships with His people.

An all star

"[My relationship with God] helped me to establish myself as an individual apart from what people thought that I should be." At Rogers High School Fa'ana played just about every sport she could and never lacked in the area of friends. "I liked to have fun" she explained. Most important to Fa'ana were her family and the people around her; people were drawn to Fa'ana because she was naturally drawn to them. Working with the youth in her city helped Fa'ana to realize that she would be a person that would work in relation to the people in her community after she returned from college.

A visionary that helps people now

As the first Samoan student body president at Whitworth, Fa'ana prides herself in her ability to have relationships and dialogue with all types of people. Fa'ana's willingness to be open to talk with people about any issue has proved beneficial both to her and to those with whom she speaks. This knack for looking beyond the present in order to influence the future is something Fa'ana has learned as an Act Six scholar. "[Act Six] has helped me to look at life through a lens where you are looking at the bigger picture as opposed to things here and now," she says.

Called to go back and teach

Earning a B.A. in English has brought Fa'ana closer to her goal of becoming teacher in her hometown. Her sentimental attachment to youth at a young age coupled with her high school and college experiences have all driven her to pursue this goal, but she credits to the Act Six program for giving her that extra push. "You just feel called to go back and to give back," she says.

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