Alema Fitisemanu was a success story. He played rugby in Samoa and then relocated to American Samoa to play American football in college. That’s where BYU discovered him, and the Cougars signed him to the DI program. In 1984, Fitisemanu’s first year at BYU, the Cougars won an NCAA DI-A national championship.
“The year prior I was planting taro in a plantation,” Fitisemanu said.
Professionally, Fitisemanu became an administrator and preferred working with youth organizations. In 2015, the University of Utah hired him as a football scout, and then Fitisemanu returned to his alma mater to become the football program’s Director of Personnel. He scoured the West Coast and overseas for talent, and he perceived a trend among Polynesian families in terms of their children going to college.
“The whole time I was recruiting, I’d meet all of these families, especially Polynesian moms and dads, whose kids respected and followed their word to the letter,” Alema said. “There’s a nice pathway for 18-year-old boys to go and play at school, and maybe that changes the whole family. But their siblings might not get that same attention if their interests aren’t football. What if they’re not athletes? Maybe they’re creative or great artists or musicians?”
“Our community has a certain mindset: I can only go to college on a football or volleyball scholarship,” Geraldine added. “The goal is to change that narrative in our community and it’s one of education. Academics is the best way to get school paid for at these universities, and it’s apparent to me as a mother of five kids.”
The Fitisemanu family / Instagram (@manuiagroup)
The Fitisemanu kids have been an education in the variety of post-high school paths. Alema Jr. just graduated Stanford University and fourth-oldest Nafi is a sophomore at Harvard University. Another child went to community college when she didn’t get into her first-choice schools, and then got school paid for when transferring to Univ. Utah. One of the boys graduated high school early and had no interest in college, but wanted to play football. So he walked onto Snow College and then realized he liked collegiate academics. He got his associates degree and is now looking at Stanford and Oxford.
“The youngest one, we’ll be lucky if he gets his GED,” Geraldine said without a note of despair. “To say every kid is ready for elite college – that’s not the case. It’s about empowering your child to know their worth and that contributions can be made in different areas of their lives.”
The Fitisemanus wanted to spread a message: If kids aren’t in position for an athletic scholarship, then there are many more options for not only attending college but getting one’s education funded. The Manuia Group began to form in late 2019, and when Alema left his position at BYU football in March 2020, both he and Geraldine devoted their time to this new college consulting foundation.
“Football was getting comfortable, and I knew I could make a bigger impact with the gaps I was seeing, especially in the Polynesian community,” Alema said of the Manuia Group’s beginnings. “There are other education services out there, and they’re available to the wealthy. They’re in Palo Alto, Cambridge, New York City, D.C. and L.A. They’re not in our community. And we have kids who qualify – who meet academic minimums and have amazing service and leadership experience. We could fill these schools with our kids.”
Nafi Fitisemanu with the USA U18s / Photo: Alex Ho
The Fitisemanus began with Polynesian communities in California (SoCal, Oakland, San Mateo), Seattle and locally in Salt Lake City, and have also started working in Samoa, Tonga and Fiji, with aspirations for New Zealand and Australia. It’s all about educating families about opportunities and not discounting any children in their ability to achieve them, but also hunkering down on details like application nuances and deadlines. The duo also asserted that they work outside of the Polynesian community and would never turn anyone away.
“The reaction we have received is gratitude,” Geraldine said after a year in business. “It’s a game-changer for families to have help from their own community. It’s one thing if someone else says, ‘This is how you do it,’ and totally different when one of your own shows you.”
That example can once again be found in the Fitisemanu family, especially as it applies to high school rugby players looking at college. Nafi is a USA U18 alumna and that – along with her stellar academics and work ethic – made her a top prospect out of high school. The National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA), the league for NCAA varsity programs, started calling and Nafi signed with Harvard beginning in fall 2020. The entire process was a dim flashlight into the rugby recruiting world, which isn’t the transparent, well oiled system that collegiate football has.
“We had been with United for six years and hadn’t seen anyone go to an elite college, but that was just our limited experience with United,” Alema said of the learning curve. “Having Nafi kind of opened the doors in our mind. Here you have a family of seven just trying to pay for college – any college – and it’s hard. A lot of families are just trying to cover their ends right now. College books and fees and room and board – that’s a big ask. We knew when Nafi got in [to Harvard] that there were other girls who could get in, too. In the end, the out-of-pocket was less than community college, which is huge.”
Harvard-bound Kiani Akina making the tackle
United teammate Kiani Akina and the top player in Utah, Malia Isaacs, were both clients, and they’re both part of Harvard’s Class of 2025. Anise Tuia (United) is also heading to NIRA’s American International College. United’s Lilly Thomas (Central Washington University) and Ane Vakapuna (Life University), and Provo’s Jenalei Fifita (Lindenwood University) have aligned with DI Elite schools, and they all worked with Manuia.
“NIRA is exploding and it’s where the opportunities lie,” Geraldine said of the league that added programs during the pandemic. “They’re held to a higher standard of academics as well as talent on the field. It’s a huge opportunity for the girls and it’s changed their mindset. Before it was, ‘What am I doing with my life,’ and then they’re getting calls from four different university coaches. You get your sport, your elite education and you contribute as a Polynesian representative.”
The Fitisemanus didn’t anticipate being as involved in rugby as they have been, but explained that it’s the NIRA coaches who are calling and keeping them busy. Alema also joined the Eagle Eye Scouting Network this year and has been pushing more local talent upward.
Manuia will continue its outreach and is looking for more partnerships, which is important for a non-profit and the support that lower-income families require. Alema and Geraldine are also looking at adding more services, like tech camps that run alongside the big football camps in Utah. Maybe one sibling heads to the football combine while the other chases their passion for coding or AI.
“It’s all about filling the gaps,” Alema reiterated.
Learn more about the Manuia Group at Manuialife.com and check out Facebook (@manuialife) and Instagram (@manuiagroup) for updates.