No. 740 Jessica Unga, 2009

File — Box: 72, Folder: 13

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Jessica Unga (b. 1984) was born in Wailuku, Hawaii and raised in Laie, Hawaii. When her parents separated she and most of her siblings moved to Provo, Utah with their mother to be near their mother’s family. She is half Tongan and half white. She has six brothers and sisters and one half brother. Jessica talks about some of the jobs she has had. She did phone surveys with Teleperformance. She worked at a scrap-booking store. And now she works for Rise caring for special needs people in a home setting. Jessica would like to have a career in interior design. She describes the differences between living in Hawaii and living in Utah. She loves Utah but she would never trade her experience growing up in Laie. In the future she wants to raise her children in Laie. Though her father is Tongan Jessica mostly learned about her Tongan heritage from her grandparents because she lived near them growing up. Jessica’s grandparents moved to Hawaii from Tonga as labor missionaries for the Mormon church. Jessica talks about her religious background. She was raised Mormon. Her grandparents were converts to the church and she talks about her grandmother’s conversion. Religion was not strictly enforced in Jessica’s home but she did have to go to church every Sunday. Her grandparents also encouraged Jessica in her education. Jessica’s mother was a substitute teacher and was also very encouraging. Her father would always give Jessica and her siblings lectures about school. She describes the education her grandparents received as well as her parents’ education. She describes what she liked about growing up in Laie. She talks about experiences she had with her family and what her relationship was like with her siblings growing up. Jessica had very different cultural experiences growing up. She experienced her mother’s culture at home and Polynesian culture at school and with friends. She identified more with her Tongan side because she was surrounded by Polynesians in Hawaii. She has never felt discriminated against while in Utah, but she has witnessed racial prejudice and knows that it exists for Polynesians in Utah.
Project: Pacific Islanders.
Interviewer: Savani Aupiu.

Dates

2009

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.