Many students travel cross-country to attend college. But for Lilly Lauina, coming to Union College meant a trip of more than 6,000 miles from her home in American Samoa.
“It took a lot to transition from American Samoa to Nebraska,” Lauina, a social work major, said. “There was a lot of culture shock for me, but also a lot of new, interesting perspectives. One thing that was definitely different was the weather, of course, and the fact that I wasn’t able to find the foods I was used to here. It was also a challenge to not have my family here to spend time with while doing what I love. “They have been my motivation to continue what I’m doing and aim for the best so I can make them proud and finish school.”
Lauina has a passion for helping children, but she knew she didn’t want to become a teacher. “I took liberal arts for two years of college back home in American Samoa because I knew that I wanted to do either psychology or social work with kids. I was also inspired by some of the work I had seen our local social workers do. I looked up all the programs here at Union and did research on them and decided social work was right for me.”
Lauina chose Union College because she has family friends in Lincoln, some of whom attended Union themselves. “We grew up together, and then they moved here from back home. That allowed me to learn more about Union College and the unique experiences that one can make here.”
In the two years Lauina has spent here at Union, a few classes have stood out. She considers Human Behavior and the Social Environment, the Social Work Practice class sequence and Crisis and Resilience to be the most important classes for understanding the unique differences and strengths of each individual — a crucial skill for a social worker. She was also surprised to enjoy Christian Ethics, taught by Dr. Benjamin Holdsworth. “That class was really interesting. It helped us be open-minded about the issues that impact us from many different perspectives. It was a lot of information, but Dr. Holdsworth presented it and taught it to us in a way that I hadn’t thought of before. He taught us interesting ways to look at situations and come to decide on what is the most ethical thing to do.”
Lauina puts what she learned in the classroom to work at her practicum. Since she’s especially interested in working with children, she has spent the last semester working with elementary-school students at Family Service Nebraska’s youth development program. “We provide before and after school care for 21 public schools in Lincoln,” she said. “I am fortunate to have the opportunity to be an assistant site supervisor at Maxey Elementary School, helping students with their homework as well as building social skills they need through various activities. We have 70-plus kids in our program at Maxey, which is a lot.”
At her practicum, Lauina gets to experience the challenges and triumphs of social work firsthand. She said, “Sometimes it can be frustrating when a child is having problems and the parent chooses not to do anything about it. But at the same time, I’m glad I’m able to engage with the students using the skills I’ve learned in class in order to examine what their needs are, while getting them the help and care they need. I am applying the skills that I’ve learned as a social worker to do the best that I can to help these students in this short time I have as a student intern.”
After graduation, Lauina is planning to return to American Samoa and serve her community. “I would like to be a foster care social worker in the future if I ever get the chance, but since we don’t have a foster care system back home, this time next year, I hope to be working for the American Samoa government as a social worker for Child Protective Services or the Department of Human and Social Services, doing what I love the most. Someday, I’d like to become a family and child therapist.”
“Coming here has been one of the best decisions I’ve made,” said Lauina. “It’s been an amazing experience and I’ll miss the time I’ve had with my classmates, my friends here at college, my teachers — everything except the weather. This college journey was surely an eye-opening experience, but God was there for it. He guided me through every step of the way. Credit to the Most High for His endless love and blessings. My journey; His glory.”
by Annika Cambigue, senior communication and English major