The National Pacific Islander Educator Network (NPIEN) was organized in 2001, following the Summit on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Higher Education sponsored by Congressman Robert Underwood of Guam, in Washington D.C.
A group of Pacific Islander educators began to meet regularly at Denny�s Restaurant in Artesia, California, for the purpose of creating an organization that would meet the needs of Pacific Islander students.
The mission of NPIEN is to unite the resources of the village to strengthen families, the community, and promote educational excellence. We have known of the strength of the village for centuries. However, we seem to have forgotten its strength, as our children have experienced high drop-out rates and low college completion rates. It is our mission to unite the village under that purpose that brought us to America, to provide greater educational opportunities for our children.
Our purpose is to create a network among Pacific Islander educators and all educators who serve Pacific Islander students, and community-based organizations to identify existing resources and serve the needs of Pacific Islander students. There are many Pacific Islander professionals, such as Samoan film producer Aldrich La�auli Porter, first assistant to Hollywood producer Ron Howard, Tongan news anchor Vai Sikahema, NBC news in Philadelphia, and Hawaiian professor Dr. Amy Stillman, Chamorro professor Dr. Vince Diaz, and Samoan professor Dr. Damon Salesa of the University of Michigan who remain anonymous to our communities. We hope to introduce these professional mentors to our students through the annual NPIEN conference and other outreach events.
We plan to ensure equal recognition, representation, and funding for Pacific Islanders at all levels of government. We call on our government leaders to increase their awareness of the needs of their Pacific Islander constituents.
NPIEN also serves as a professional network for Pacific Islander educators and future educators to allow the sharing of professional knowledge and expertise. As I reflect on my career as an educator, I was mentored by colleagues of all ethnicities and backgrounds. I hope to mentor future educators as well, and work specifically with Pacific Islander youth entering the professional world.
This website will only further our NPIEN work, and link us to all of our members both here on the mainland and all of the islands of the Pacific. Although many of us do not know our homelands very well, we realize that we represent you here, and look forward to networking with you in an effort to unite the village throughout the world.
Sincerely,
Dr. Victor C. Thompson, President/CEO
