Changemakers: A Rising Tide Lifts All Ships
From OSU to the White House to public service in the Aloha State, Tonga Hopoi, ’12, has been the first of many things. That path of authentic leadership and community representation comes with great joy, but it can also be lonely at times.
Hear about the tools that have helped her stay whole and strong in the process and take inspiration from her tenets of leadership — including the pursuit of the Beloved Community, a phrase used by philosopher Josiah Royce and Martin Luther King, Jr. that refers to a society with compassion and the common good at its core.
Hopoi will unpack the wonders and hardships of service to others and share encouragement for those still finding their voices as leaders of change.
About the speaker:
Milikaleakona Hopoi, '12, known as “Tonga,” is committed to empowering women of color, and she sets an example as a leader who remains true to her cultural upbringing. Chief of staff for the senate majority leader in the Hawai’i State Legislature, she has shared her positive outlook and organization skills in many roles. She became the first Tongan to work in the White House as a policy intern for First Lady Michelle Obama in 2014, was appointed as special advisor to the undersecretary of science and energy within the Department of Energy and served on the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans. The only Pacific Islander elected president of the Associated Students of Oregon State University, Hopoi’s administration was essential in passing the bonds needed to fund the construction of the Student Experience Center at OSU.
Tonga is the recipient of Don and Shirley Wirth Young Alumni Award at the 2021 Black and Orange Awards, presented by the OSU Alumni Association. Watch her award video.
Location
|
Online
|