Building better leaders for Pacific Island countries

The Miss Pacific Pageant in Samoa has surfaced some great young leaders and ambassadors in the Pacific region pushing for a particular issue they believe is the hardest for the Pacific to overcome.

Some share the same view, for instance Miss Tonga, Laura Melaia Renae Lauti, who is an ambassador for the Bay Area Successful thinker’s network in California.

She also plays a huge role in a Non-Profit Organization in Tonga that encourages and recruits youth to take lead in their lives.

Ms. Lauti specializes in building better communications skills amongst various groups or individuals.

“It’s always good to know that you build a communication connection whether in families, work places, or in between just friends, and that’s what I specialize in,” said Laura.

The 21 year old Tonga Beauty believes the Pacific suffer from a growing population of youth, who either don’t have the courage to work for success or don’t have the support.

“In Tonga we just established a non-profit organization that includes youth programs, and what we do is conduct these programs around the island recruiting and basically encouraging youth in becoming better leaders in their communities,” she said.

Vying for the Miss Pacific Crown, she believes it’s an effort that needs to be expanded amongst the entire region.

“If we can boost our young people’s ability to work, or to broaden their vision and education, they can become great leaders, and that’s my dream for Tonga, and it could become a dream applicable to the entire region,” she said.

Lauti lives and works in Oakland, California but has devoted most of her time travelling between Tonga and the States. For a young 21 year old, it’s a lot of work, but she says it’s worth the effort.

“I felt I should give back to my culture, I am very close to my culture and that’s why I joined the Miss Tonga, and this weekend, I hope to represent my country well in the Regional Competition as well,” she said.

Photo: Facebook