Meet Our Scholars
Misimatoka Unutoa
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace
He/Him
BIPOC
Misimatoka Tuamasaga Unutoa is a fourth-year mechanical engineering aerospace student at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Misimatoka's pronouns are he/him, and he is a Californian-born, Hawai'i-raised queer Samoan with a passion for human space flight and space exploration! He aims to land an internship with a team-oriented aerospace engineering company in the summer of 2023. Some of Misimatoka's goals are to (1) diversify the aerospace industry with more Pacific Islander and LGBTQ students and (2) provide more educational and financial opportunities for underserved communities of color to pursue higher education in STEM.
At Manoa, he is also a STEM Scholar in the Native Hawaiian Science & Engineering Program, which is a program dedicated to increasing the advancement of NHPI by providing financial support, academic opportunities, and community for NHPI students. He has mentored high school students on the island of Lana'i, helping them with their senior STEM Capstone projects. Misi is also an ambassador for the Rainbow Ohana Program - an LGBTQ+ Service and Honors Society - where he leads a group of queer students on campus to fulfill community service hours to earn their rainbow stole upon graduation!
At Manoa, he is also a STEM Scholar in the Native Hawaiian Science & Engineering Program, which is a program dedicated to increasing the advancement of NHPI by providing financial support, academic opportunities, and community for NHPI students. He has mentored high school students on the island of Lana'i, helping them with their senior STEM Capstone projects. Misi is also an ambassador for the Rainbow Ohana Program - an LGBTQ+ Service and Honors Society - where he leads a group of queer students on campus to fulfill community service hours to earn their rainbow stole upon graduation!