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American Samoa
“”Tautua nei mo se taeao manuia”
Serve now for a better tomorrow.
Lola Wong graduated with a BSLA and is pursuing an MLA as part of the dual degree program. Ms. Wong participated in the public design internship for community engagement and will expand upon her eight-week professional experience into a graduate thesis co-developing a community design toolkit with her mentor, Mile Farani. Filoialii, specifically for American Samoa with its tradition of group ownership, collective responsibility, and communal ties.
Lola’s position as landscape designer at a government agency on a territory island of the United States exposed her to a unique, culturally-influenced design process and project development. She is particularly interested in public sector work and co-creating with the multidisciplinary forces involved in green space development. She hopes to pursue a career involving publicly funded projects particularly for underrepresented communities like Samoans in American Samoa.
During her time, Lola developed concept renderings to supplement grant applications to the Land and Water Conservation Fund. She participated in island-wide recreational group activities and hosted a design charrette with a group of students employed by the American Samoan Government summer program. Concept renderings created were for Lions Park, the most popular park on the island, Satala Cemetery, a historical site, and other shoreline parks for anti-erosion interventions. Another design charette was held to support the bid for acquiring a plot of park land from the American Samoan Government.
One of the biggest takeaways is the small island feeling and how that influenced park usage. The fa’a samoa, or preserved culture of Samoans, translates into a strong network of sports participation by all age groups. This included informal volleyball after work, organized village softball tournaments, faith-based workout groups, fautasi racing, and everything in between. The island became recreationally active once the sun set which highlighted the importance of safety and access at all times of the day/night.