Tausoa Mulitalo received Just One More grant to complete her education
Tausoa Mulitalo is a survivor. She overcame the immense challenges of surviving sexual abuse and years of battling addiction. Through relentless effort and ongoing therapy, she found recovery and transformed her life, becoming a dedicated college student. Although she has made significant progress, her healing journey continues as she works through the lingering traumas and challenges rooted in addiction.
Seeking support to pursue her Master’s degree, she turned to Just One More. She shared her vision of becoming a licensed social worker, driven by her desire to return to her community and help others overcome their own traumas and addictions.
What impact did your Just One More grant have on your life?
The grant award had significantly impacted my ability to obtain my Master’s degree free from the burden of student loans and debt. Thanks to the grant, I didn’t have to juggle extra jobs or hours to make ends meet or fret over mounting bills and steep interest rates. This allowed me to focus wholeheartedly on my studies, immersing myself in learning and community engagement without the shadow of financial strain looming over me.
What are you most proud of?
I take great pride in achieving and sustaining a GPA above 3.5 while actively engaging in various community service initiatives. These included conducting workshops for children and youth, collaborating with healthcare providers, professionals, and community members to establish a project aimed at addressing the perinatal mental health care needs of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NHPI) mothers in Utah, and diligently preparing and delivering presentations to fellow social workers on the challenges and effective strategies pertaining to mental health within the NHPI community.
What are your future goals and plans?
I’m working towards becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker so I can provide mental health therapy and potentially prepare myself for my own private practice, educating, and serving the community, especially Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NHPI)-identifying community members. Mental health is still considered taboo among this population, so I would like to work with other organizations to help address these educational and service needs. I am also considering contributing to research in social work, specifically mental health among NHPI or healing modalities for NHPI, so a Ph.D. might be in the distant future. Overall, my goal is to promote well-being by bringing together different treatments to help people receive well rounded services.
Congratulations, Soa!
We believe in you! And we celebrate your journey to help others and spread the opportunity of second chances.