Teenagers at times think their lives are stressful. They are forced to go to this place called “school” where they make them do “work” so they can “learn.” But for junior Lauina Cha, her experiences are different. She wasn’t brought up in a city environment with grocery stores and malls. Cha grew up surrounded by villages and agriculture. English is not her first language, Samoan is. At school, in Samoa, she did not shrug off a wrong answer; instead, she cringed for the pain that followed, a hit from the teacher for every wrong answer.

    Cha was born and raised on one of the islands of Samoa. She lived there until 2003 when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was constantly moving from her home in Pago Pago to New Zealand to get better medical assistance for her mother. When it wasn’t enough, her family decided to make the big move across the Pacific to America.

    Cha’s first stop on her journey through the States was Los Angeles. Her parents were looking for the right place to raise Cha and her nine siblings. Their search brought them to Salt Lake City, Utah. Due to her family moving around, she missed a year of school. When she went back to school, she continued school in the fifth grade.

    What Cha learned in Samoa helped her adjust to schools in America. “They focused on memorizing,” she said. “Also, solving problems is a lot easier when the teacher doesn’t have a 2x4. The schools in Samoa were violent.” Cha came into each new school observing the environment around her to find a way to fit in.

    When Cha’s mom finally overcame cancer the following year, the Cha family continued the search for a place to call home. They landed in places such as Las Vegas, Oakland, and Sacramento, before settling in Stockton in 2007. Cha went to Edison and Chavez before attending Stagg.

    Cha has been involved in many extracurricular activities and puts her education first. “What drives me is curiosity, I’m curious about things.” This curiosity is the reason her education comes first. Through her travels and even now, she has played softball, done gymnastics, has participated in youth church events, choir, and family troop, where she gets paid to dance traditional Polynesian dances on the weekends. Yet she is still able to balance all these activities with school. “School always comes first,” Cha said. “My parents and uncles push me and try to motivate me but I don’t need their motivation, I motivate myself.”

    Together her curiosity and self motivation have earned her a 4.0 grade point average. Cha plans to spend her final year at Stagg focusing solely on school. “My mom says next year no sports and to focus on my academics.” And with a tight stressful schedule like hers, she does not have a lot of time to spare.

    She plans to go to Sac State after graduation to study to become a nurse practitioner. “I am trying to set up a future for myself.”