July 21, 1998

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. ---- SAMOAN SISTERS ATTEND STANFORD UNIVERSITY AND U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY

CONGRESSMAN FALEOMAVAEGA ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT HE RECENTLY MET WITH THE PROUD PARENTS OF TWO DAUGHTERS WHO CURRENTLY ATTEND AMONG THE TOP TWO LEADING UNIVERSITIES IN THE UNITED STATES.

GEORGINA TUATAGALOA SALAZAR IS CURRENTLY ATTENDING STANFORD UNIVERSITY AS A CHEMISTRY MAJOR. SHE IS ALSO STUDYING MULTI-VARIABLE CALCULUS AND NEUROBIOLOGY. GEORGINA IS A GRADUATE OF SAN DIEGO HIGH SCHOOL AND HAS RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS: HOWARD COUGHLIN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP, SAN DIEGO HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SCHOLARSHIP; ASSOCIATION OF PACIFIC ISLANDER EDUCATORS SCHOLARSHIP AND THE HARRY T. FOISIA SCHOLARSHIP.

THE YOUNGER SISTER, NINA, IS ALSO A GRADUATE OF SAN DIEGO HIGH SCHOOL AND RECEIVED SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS FROM THE ASSOCIATION OF PACIFIC ISLAND EDUCATORS, TANDY TECHNOLOGY SCHOLARSHIP, ALEXANDER CHURLIS SCHOLARSHIP, AND NUMEROUS OTHERS. WHILE SHE WAS ALSO ACCEPTED AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (MIT), STANFORD UNIVERSITY, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY, SHE CHOSE INSTEAD TO ATTEND THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY AT COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO. NINA STARTED HER ENROLLMENT AT THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY LAST MONTH.

"I AM ALWAYS PLEASED TO SHARE WITH OUR SAMOAN COMMUNITY THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF YOUNG SAMOANS WHO LIVE IN AND OUTSIDE OF AMERICAN SAMOA. THE ACHIEVEMENTS SET BY GEORGINA AND HER SISTER, NINA, ARE EXCELLENT EXAMPLES FOR OTHER SAMOAN YOUTHS TO EMULATE, AND MAKES US ALL PROUD TO LEARN THAT SAMOANS CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING IF GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY AND PROPER TRAINING." SAID FALEOMAVAEGA.

FALEOMAVAEGA FURTHER ADDED, "TO MY KNOWLEDGE, NINA TUATAGALOA SALAZAR IS THE FIRST STUDENT OF SAMOAN ANCESTRY TO BE ACCEPTED AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (MIT). MIT IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE TOP TWO UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD, RENOWN FOR ITS STUDIES IN PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY, CHEMISTRY AND ENGINEERING."

GEORGINA AND NINA'S FATHER, MR. EDWARD SALAZAR, IS OF MEXICAN-AMERICAN DESCENT, AND IS AN ELECTRICIAN AT THE SAN DIEGO NAVAL BASE, AND THEIR MOTHER, IVA PISIA TUATAGALOA, IS FROM VAILOATAI VILLAGE AND A GRADUATE OF LEONE HIGH SCHOOL AND CURRENTLY WORKING AS A NURSE.