Edmund Saksak has worked as a security guard at both the Polynesian Cultural Center and at BYU–Hawaii since 2017, making him one of the students who has worked the longest in his position.
“It is not about how educated or how big you are or where you are, it is all about how you care and serve.” He said he enjoys working for Security, serving the staff and students of BYUH, because he cares for them and values learning from them.
Learning from others
Saksak, a senior from Vanuatu majoring in political science, credits his work performance to a lesson he learned while working for P&O Cruises Australia as a buffet steward. He worked there on a six-to-eight-month contract in 2015.
“It is very important to be in a job, even though it is boring or hard, because the main thing is we are all learning from each other.” He said striving to learn from others in difficult situations is what builds an employee’s work ethic.
While working with P&O, he said he met and learned from people from different walks of life as there are many reasons people might go on a cruise. “Some [people are] celebrating an anniversary, others [are there] to bid farewell to loved ones, and maybe for others it is their final journey.” He said he worked to ensure every guest had an unforgettable experience.
Working as a security guard hasn’t always been easy, Saksak said, adding he has often had people accuse security guards of “wasting time” or “just walking around all day” on their patrols. Many students, Saksak said, feel targeted or discriminated against when they are called out for minor violations, such as improper parking or dressing immodestly.
Saksak said when he first started working at security, he harbored a lot of the same prejudices. “I always thought this is a low-grade job and a waste of time.” He said his original plan was to be a tour guide at the PCC, but his class schedule wouldn’t allow it.
However, he accepted the job as a challenge and said his perspective quickly changed. He even said working security shifted his interest towards law enforcement and politics.
He now describes his job as “the greatest experience and the greatest job ever” because it’s the first step on his career ladder. “It is indeed the beginning of my journey,” he said.
He acknowledged the assumptions he and other students make about security guards. “Sometimes we may chastise someone for doing something he [or] she is not supposed to do, but it’s all out of love and concern,” he said. “My boss ... always reminds us our job is not to punish, but to educate. … Everyone is doing their very best to overcome the human weakness in them … by educating others and using our discretion at all times.”
A bittersweet ending
Anamaree Tasima, a sophomore from Kiribati studying marine biology, is a friend and coworker of Saksak. She works in security’s first aid department. “He is such a nice guy and always willing to help,” she said of him. “He is friendly and a person that always does his best in everything, not just in the job, but also in his calling at church and in his school stuff.” She also described him as an honest, loyal and “incredible” coworker.
Saksak described his relationship with his coworkers as “superb” and said their directors and supervisors were great. He said he has enjoyed working with people of many different nationalities over the past four years, as well as seeing the students, staff and community members “[happily] walking around,” which is something he said motivated him to do his best.
His boss, Anthony Pickard, director of Campus Safety and Security, described Saksak as dedicated and hardworking and praised his dependability. He said Saksak has “helped out a lot” in investigations of on-campus crimes, such as theft and fraud, as well as assisting in identifying the owners of abandoned vehicles. He also provided medical assistance to those in the Hales and Temple View Apartments.
“He’s also been very helpful in giving directions to students and faculty,” Pickard added. Saksak is one of the students who has worked the longest as a security guard. Most students usually only stay for a semester or a year at most, he added.
Saksak expressed the frustration of graduating during a pandemic. “I did not come here ... for three and a half years just to watch my name on a screen showing I graduated, but to walk with my fellow mates down that same path as those before us did,” he said.
“Unfortunately, this cannot happen. No one is to be blamed for that. It is something that we cannot control. So, to ensure the safety of all of us, that is the only option.
“I will again say it is indeed the greatest blessing for me to be here, to study amongst a diverse group of heroes, great men and women, and to be able to go out and fulfill the school’s motto, ‘Enter to learn and go forth to serve.’”