Sioeli Joe Laupati

I’m always learning what it is to be a leader, and I’m trying to pass it on."

Every year, each of Washington’s Community and Technical Colleges nominates a student for the Trustees Association’s Transforming Lives Award. This year, TCC’s nominee was Sioeli Joe Laupati, a formerly incarcerated individual who has become an Office of Student Engagement (OSE) leader, a sought-after student panelist and two-time departmental Student of the Year award winner.

Laupati started his educational journey while incarcerated, filling out the FAFSA for the first time while at Cedar Creek. After his release, he was referred to TCC by a re-entry navigator. He enrolled at TCC in Fall 2018 as a member of the Students Together Achieving Rising Status (STARS) and Men of Distinction (MOD) learning communities.

“Your classmates are your classmates for a whole quarter,” said Laupati of the Learning Community experience. “It really feels like a community.”

Inside and outside of the classroom, Laupati quickly became immersed in the life of the college, displaying what Office of Student Engagement (OSE) Director Sonja Morgan described as “tremendous engagement.” Laupati has worked as an OSE leader. He’s been a speaker on panels held on campus and at the Corrections Education and Reentry Conference in Wenatchee. On the recommendation of Sociology Professor Dr. Andrew Cho, English Professor Latoya Reid and Human Development Professor Nigeria Bell, he began serving as a student representative on college hiring committees, an experience he found as educational as any class.

“I learned a lot from being on the other side of hiring,” said Laupati. “I have a different appreciation for writing a resume.”

At the 2019 Student Awards Ceremony, two departments – TCC Learning Communities and OSE – presented him with a Student of the Year award. This year, he’s part of just about everything a student can be involved in at TCC. To list just a few of his activities, he’s serving as an OSE Student Ambassador, attending regional conferences, serving as a student facilitator for OSE’s quarterly Identity, Culture and Community Workshops, and serving as the President of OSE’s Asian Pacific Islanders Club.

Laupati was able to transform his life at TCC. But he was devastated by the loss of his father in the fall of 2019, and he considered dropping out. He says it took all the support of the TCC staff and faculty who have become like family to make the decision to continue.

“I want to dedicate this nomination to my father,” said Laupati at the Board Meeting at which the nomination was announced. “I’m always learning what it is to be a leader, and I’m trying to pass it on. Every opportunity that I’m afforded, I’m going to take advantage of it.”