Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka has served as a Secondary Education Teacher for the past eleven years, teaching English to English Language Learners from all over the island and averaged about 100 students per academic year. In addition, Sabrina also acts as an advisor and lecturer for the University of Hawaii at Manoa PACMED program for the Pacific Region. In her role as PACMED instructor Sabrina facilitates tertiary courses with UH Manoa graduate students in American Samoa, Hawaii, Chuuk, and the Republic of Marshall Islands. To further demonstrate her leadership, Sabrina earned the title of Nobel Educator of Distinction with the National Society of High School Scholars and was bestowed membership with four university honor societies: Phi Lambda Theta Honor Society, Honor Society Foundation, Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society and the Golden Key International Honor Society. Sabrina was a TEDx Speaker at the inaugural Pago Pago event where she emphasized mentorship for our youth through her published talk “Be That Person”. Simultaneously, Sabrina is the founder for the community service project, Finafinau, which was founded in 2017 and focuses on youth advocacy for the environment. In this capacity, she works with over 50 youth each year to coordinate coast clean ups, tree planting, and school outreach visits, with the hope to promote environmental conservation and resilience. In 2022, Finafinau earned its nonprofit status and now has various student chapters in three districts of American Samoa. In March 2020, Sabrina was the first American Samoan to win the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators from the US Environmental Protection Agency for all of Region 9. Sabrina was also named the 2021 Territorial Teacher of the Year for American Samoa and in September 2022, Sabrina was the first Pacific Islander to win an EE 30 Under 30 award for the North American Association for Environmental Education. Sabrina also represented American Samoa at the 2019 Young Pacific Leaders program, became a winner for the 2019 YPL Small Grants Program, and selected for the YPL Civic Engagement Program as a workshop participant and also a keynote speaker on her “Journey to Community Leadership.”
Sabrina is a graduate from the American Samoa Community College in 2011 with an Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts. From the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Sabrina received a Bachelor of Education degree in Elementary Education in 2014 and also earned a Master of Education in Curriculum Studies in 2016. Within the same university, Sabrina is currently pursuing her PhD in Learning Technology and Design pending graduation in December 2022.
