Patrick was born in the United States Territory of American Samoa and a proud alumnus of the Marist Brothers of Samoa. Growing up in Samoa, education was always a challenge due to his undiagnosed dyslexia. He left his beloved home and served a combined duty of twelve years, active and reserves, in the U.S. Army. He then settled in Washington State after leaving the military.

Patrick always believes that education is the equalizer of our society. He spent 25 years with the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD) Juvenile Justice. At DAJD, he became very concerned with the downward spiral of academic achievement of Pacific Islander (PI) students in our state. He discovered the seriousness of this long-standing concern that overwhelmed his community for decades during his undergraduate studies at the University of Washington School of Social Work. Struggling to manage his learning disability, he earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of San Francisco.

Patrick walked the talk and co-founded the "Voices of Pacific Island Nations (VOPIN)," a 501.c.3., a nonprofit org serving the Kitsap, King, and Pierce Counties Pasefika (Pacific) communities and the surrounding areas. VOPIN strives to address the educational and opportunity inequities for Pasefika students and their families.

Patrick loves to share his culture and history with others and make others feel part of the community. "In our division, we allow evil to prevail. Only collectively, we shall rise above our fears and uncertainties!"

You can contact him at patrick@vopin.org