Levalasi Loi-On

Peer Leader, Burton High School

Alumni Intern, Burton High School

"Lasi has always advocated for success of young people, particularly Pacific Islander young people in San Francisco who are in even fewer numbers in San Francisco and in our public schools. Lasi was a Peer Leader and a Youth Council member from Burton High School. During her first year, she had a Peers teacher who was struggling. She asked me if I could coach her and her other Youth Council member to lead class 2 days a week and plan class for the entire week to mitigate what she thought was the mean spiritedness of the teacher. So I did. Each week, we met and she told us how the class went and what she wanted to do differently and we made our way together through a difficult year. Her main concern was that the mentoring program needed to be successful so they could support the 9th grade students. During college, she found a way to arrange her own internship which allowed her to continue to work with the Peers program at Burton. During college and graduate school, Lasi continued to advocate for Pacific Islander students and for Pacific Islander programs at CCSF and SFSU on the academic, cultural and counseling support levels. In 2017, Lasi graduated with a Masters in Ethnic Studies from SFSU and was chosen to be the Graduate Hood Recipient for the College of Ethnic Studies. Now, as a Student Success Coordinator in Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Services, she helps to support students at San Francisco State University. Lasi is an example of giving back to her community and to reaching back to her community to raise up the current youth leaders. When you look at her Instagram feed, you will see Lasi attending, leading, organizing an event that brings Pacific Islander history and art together. She is a heart-filled leader--you can feel her compassion, her sense of justice, and her determination in everything she does."

Levalasi (Lasi) Loi-On is a second-generation mixed Samoan who grew up moving between cities in California, Alaska, and Arizona. In 2008, she participated in Peer Resources and Pin@y Educational Partnerships at Burton High School which was crucial to her educational journey as nurturing and critical leadership spaces. She currently works as a Student Success Coordinator in Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Services at San Francisco State University (SFSU) and teaches in Critical Pacific Islands and Oceania Studies at City College of San Francisco. Last year she received her Master of Arts in Ethnic Studies at SFSU, with her research focusing on Pacific Islanders in education and the influence of Critical Pacific Islands and Oceania Studies in San Francisco.

"I am so grateful for the spaces that have helped to nurture my love for my family and communities. Therefore, my work in education hopes to help build and support these spaces for students--that not only honors the legacies of learning and knowledge, but also reminds them that their roots are nothing to be ashamed of."

Levalasi Loi-On