Dean of Academic Affairs Mrs. Letupu Moananu will give the keynote address at the 62nd ASCC Commencement Ceremony, which will take place on Friday, May 15th, beginning at 10 a.m. in the College's Gymasium. (Photo: K. Garcia/ASCC Student Services)
Dean of Academic Affairs Mrs. Letupu Moananu will give the keynote address at the 62nd ASCC Commencement Ceremony, which will take place on Friday, May 15th, beginning at 10 a.m. in the College's Gymasium. (Photo: K. Garcia/ASCC Student Services)
62nd ASCC Commencement to Take Place Friday, May 15th
May 6, 2015
By James Kneubuhl, ASCC Press Officer
The spring 2015 Commencement Ceremony at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) will take place on Friday, May 15th beginning at 10 a.m. in the College’s Gymnasium. Pending final exam results, 115 students are scheduled to graduate with their degrees and certificates during the Commencement, the 62nd in the College’s history. Hon. Governor Lolo M. Moliga, the Board of Higher Education, and other dignitaries have been invited to join the ASCC community for this special occasion, and Parish Minister Iasepi D. Ulu of CCCAS Fagatogo will perform the Invocation and Benediction.
Scheduled to provide the keynote address at the ceremony is the College’s Dean of Academic Affairs Mrs. Letupu Tauanuu-Moananu, herself a graduate of ASCC who will share her insights gleaned from her long career in the field of education. Born in Fitiuta, Manu’a, in 1971 to father Tauanuu Agiagi of Fitiuta, Manua and mother Faasese Talolo Laapui of Vaitogi and Fitiuta, Mrs. Tauanuu-Moananu attended first grade at Matasaua Elementary School, Fitiuta, Manua before relocating to Tutuila, where she was raised in Vaitogi by her maternal grandparents and completed her early education at Lupelele Elementary School.
Mrs. Tauanuu-Moananu subsequently graduated in 1989 from Tafuna High School as the class Salutatorian, and then earned her Associate in Arts degree from ASCC in Liberal Arts in 1991. An ASG scholarship enabled her to attend Washington State University, where she completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics in 1994. She began her career as a professional educator at Tafuna High School, where she taught from 1994 to 1997. Mrs. Tauanuu-Moananu received a full scholarship to attend the Masters in Mathematics program at California State University, Fullerton between spring 1998 to summer 1999. While at Fullerton, she served as an adjunct faculty for the Remedial Math program. Having completed her Master’s degree, she returned to Tafuna High School to teach for two more years, during which time she served as the head of the Math Department, a National Honor Society advisor, and a Student Body advisor.
In spring 2002, Mrs. Tauanuu-Moananu joined the ASCC faculty as a mainstay of the Math Department, serving as its chairperson from 2004 to 2013. She has also been a member of the Curriculum Committee from 2004 to the present, a member of the Assessment Core faculty, and a representative to the MENTOR program with PRELL. She became the Dean of Academic Affairs at ASCC in spring 2014, overseeing 12 academic programs and three federal grants. She currently resides in Vaitogi with her husband of 15 years, Chin Moananu of Aoloau, and their daughter Faatalaleu Gayani Moananu, aged six. In addition to her duties as Dean of Academic Affairs, Mrs. Tauanuu-Moananu is currently working on a Dissertation titled, “The Relationship Between Socio-Economic Status and Math Achievement of College Students“ as she pursues a PhD with Cappella University.
“Mrs. Tauanuu-Moananu provides a fine example of a daughter of American Samoa who has made a commitment to education,” said ASCC Dean of Student Services Dr. Emilia Le’i. “She also exemplifies the spirit of lifelong learning which we seek to impart to our students, and I’m sure her keynote address will be an inspiring one.” For more information on the 62nd ASCC Commencement Ceremony, contact the Division of Student Services at 699-9155, ext. 376.