Talofa Fe'a
Talofa is a tama’ita’i Samoa (Samoan woman) from the island of Tutuila, American Samoa; born and raised in her mother’s village of Faleniu (Magalei) and father’s village of ‘Ili’ili (Fe’a). She is a PhD student in the Environmental Sciences and Society (ESS) Program, with the Department of Environmental Sciences at Emory University.
Talofa holds a BS from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in Natural Resources and Environmental Management, where she worked as a PacIOOS supported research assistant with the Hawai‘i Sea Grant Center for Ocean and Coastal Health that’s under the leadership of Dr. Eileen Nalley. She earned an AS from the American Samoa Community College in Natural Resources, under the mentorship of Leilua Ionatana Fasavalu and Seiuli Dr. Michael Otto Hansell.
Research interests and approach
As part of the ECC team, Talofa’s current and envisioned work focuses on forests as food systems, examining tree species distribution through interdisciplinary lenses: (1) environmental processes such as volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and canopy services; (2) cultural implications of restoring these native, Indigenous foodways; and (3) community social outcomes related to nutrition and food security. Her approach to any and all research is shaped by Fa’aSamoa (the Samoan way of life), rooted in the core values of fa’aaloalo (respect), tautua (service), and alofa (love).
