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Remember Your Roots

Tongan Student Becomes First in the English MA program.

Drois Vi never thought she would trade breathtaking beaches for snowy winters until she entered BYU’s English MA program as the first Pacific Islander. Growing up in Tonga, Vi learned English as a second language but found a passion for reading and writing in English. Her passion quickly developed into preserving and studying Pacific Island literature, an understudied field in the humanities.

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Photo by Drois Vi

Vi was first drawn to BYU during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was completing her undergraduate degree at BYU–Hawaii when Tonga’s borders were closed. Her auntie encouraged her to apply to grad school during her free time in the pandemic. After getting accepted, the challenge of BYU excited Vi. “I feel like BYU is very competitive, but it allows me to challenge my strength.”

The transition to BYU initially proved difficult for Vi. “At first, it was scary to be honest. But as time went on, I felt like I found my people. I have a sense of belonging. There are other people who are studying English literature like me, and we have that connection,” she says.

As Vi continued to adjust to life in Utah, she began thinking about her thesis topic. Initially, Vi chose to continue on a seminar paper where she compared one of her favorite writers, Edgar Allan Poe, to Japanese writer Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. However, she realized she wanted to make her thesis more meaningful and reflective of her experience as a Pacific Islander. “I’m an Indigenous woman, first-generation student, and I also have a story to tell,” she says. Using this motivation, she centered her research around Epeli Hau‘ofa, a Tongan Fijian writer, his book Tales of the Tikongs, and his essay “Our Sea of Islands.”

After graduation, Vi is considering getting a PhD in Pacific literature or going to law school. Her end goal is to return home and give back to her community through her service, whether in government or teaching. “I will be of great use when I return home with all of this knowledge that I gained during my education in the US to help build up my country,” she says.

Vi hopes to inspire other Pacific Islanders to participate and get involved in the humanities, saying everyone has their own story to share and “there is power in pursuing your dreams, whether in Tongan or English. . . . You never know how it will influence someone out there who is struggling with the ‘other’ in her or his story. You have the power in your hands to make a change . . . do not give up or give away your pen in writing your story. It is yours to write and tell when time presents itself.”