Melba Latu joined the BYU-Hawaii ohana as the newly appointed Dean of Students in November 2016. She shared how her journey to Laie and her passion for students has helped her love her current job and appreciate BYUH.
Latu said her job consists of ensuring the health, welfare, and wellbeing of students. “The general welfare of students is what I’m charged with safeguarding, and it’s something I take very seriously. It involves a lot of different departments and a lot of different parts.”
She said she feels her responsibility is big and she needs to be informed about all aspects of campus and student life. “The more I learn, the more I realize what an inspired institution this is; that we’re able to meet the regulations, and we’re able to meet the requirements for all these students so they can come and get an education, then go back to their countries and build a kingdom. It is amazing.”
Latu said education was something she has always been passionate about; especially education for under-represented populations. “My Tongan culture is something I’m very proud of, and for it to be represented as
it is at BYUH and the PCC, brings me such pride. Seeing more Polynesians, specifically, getting higher education is something that’s always been important, but I never knew how I would be involved in it.”
Before deciding to take the job offer, Latu said she visited Hawaii. “I had never been to Hawaii before, and when I came out here and met the students, I fell in love with them and their dedication. I thought if I could work
with these students, that would be the opportunity of a lifetime...There is something about the setting of our campus. Laie was kissed by the Lord.”
Latu said the decision to move to Laie was hard because her whole family was in Provo, she had just bought her dream house, and loved her job at the BYU Honor Code Office. Despite her anchors planted in Utah, she said her dream-like experience at BYUH called to her. “This is an inspired organization. The people who work here, I think the Lord has hand-picked them and has brought them here. For me, it was the students who sold this place for me.
“The students here at BYUH are the best because they’re good, passionate about learning, and they are culturally aware. I have no doubt that they are the future leaders of the church and in the world. I feel so humbled to play this role.”
Latu recalled her first night in Laie. “I was looking at the ocean. As I felt the trade winds blow through, I was captivated. This is an amazing place. I think Heavenly Father watches over our campus very carefully. He’s given us this beautiful land where we can learn.”
Latu was born and raised in Orem, Utah, and is the third of eight children. She obtained an English degree with a violin minor from BYU, and went on to law school at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts.
