Caryn Lesuma teaches English courses at BYU–Hawaii but is a Laie girl who grew up in the town but didn’t attend BYUH. She went to Stanford University, came back and married a Laie boy. She went to BYU in Provo for her master’s degree in young adult literature.
Q: Tell us about yourself?
"My name is Caryn Lesuma. You might see some other Lesumas around campus. They are my husband’s family. I grew up in Laie and so did my husband. I grew up half on Iosepa Street and half on Moana Street. We moved stakes. It was a really big deal. I never went to BYU–Hawaii. I know where the pool is because I played water polo in high school, but I’ve been running around trying to find where everything is on campus."
Q: What do you teach here at BYU–Hawaii?
"I teach English 101 and 201, but next semester I’ll be teaching Young Adult Literature. I’m really excited because it’s what my master’s focused on."
Q: As a young adult literature teacher, what are your feelings on "Twilight?"
"'Twilight' ... Yeah, I feel like people have really strong feelings about it. I personally thought it was a great story, not particularly well written, but I did find it a page-turner. To me, anything that gets reluctant readers reading is a good thing. It can be a bridge to better written or more in-depth literature. It does have its value."
Q: Tell us about your college experience. Where did you go to school?
"I did my undergraduate at Stanford. Later, I married my husband. I decided I wanted my master’s about a year and a half to two years ago. So we, my husband and I, moved to Provo."
Q: Has life taken you and your family to any other new places beside Hawaii and Utah?
"Starting about four years ago, we moved here for eight months after we first got married. Then we moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, because my husband was playing indoor football. We lived there for a year and it was a really cool experience. He switched teams and we went to Seattle, Washington, for a year. We hope this is the place we’ll settle down. All of our families are here."
Q: Do you write as well as teach?
"I have a novel in the works, but I have trouble being motivated, and I have a lot going on teaching classes. Hopefully, it’ll be finished soon and hopefully, I’ll get it published someday."