McClean Sauseru, a freshman majoring in business, is the first student from Solomon Islands to attend BYUH since 2007, said Director of Admissions and Financial Aid James Faustino.
Sauseru said, “For me coming from Solomon Islands was very tough. At first, I would always see chickens and pigs running around and now I am suddenly here. This is a completely different way of living, lifestyle, and culture.”
He said it was difficult being raised in a family of seven. He said, “Growing up in Solomon Islands was very challenging. Life was hard. Things were expensive. If you didn’t have a job or go to school, the best option is for you to go back to the village and continue to work in the plantations.
“A common problem in Solomon Islands is money. My dad didn’t have a job and my mom was just a housewife, so we had a plantation where we would grow vegetables.
“We would save the money we got from the plantation... for a temple trip. Since we wanted to save money, we had to walk every Sunday for an hour and 30 minutes.”
Sauseru’s family was introduced to the church’s self-reliance program in 2010. Afterwards, his dad began to apply for jobs and was accepted to work with the immigration office. Joining the church and becoming aware of the LDS reliance program helped his family become more self-sufficient, he said, leading them to come up with the idea for their small family business.
He said, “We work with work visas and passports. We have a big family, so my father was concerned with what would happen to us in the future.”
The business is what kept his family going and allowed him to be the first family member to attend a university, said Sauseru. He said there are many people in his country who aren’t self-reliant or diligent, and he’s proud his family was able to become that way.
International Admissions Analyst JoAnn Lowe said she worked with Sauseru during the application process and said he stood out to her more than a lot of other students who applied.
Lowe said she was impressed with Sauseru’s maturity since he did not have a support system from alumni in the Solomon Islands that other applicants from other countries do have.”
Sauseru was a very self-reliant person, Lowe said. “If you realize you work hard to be as self-reliant as you can, then you don’t feel entitled. Tou feel grateful as opposed to feeling entitled.
“When you are self-reliant,” she continued, “you know the worth of work, so you become more grateful. I think that is another nice thing about Sauseru.
“I am glad he actually got here, and I have great hope he is going to be very successful in his academics and in being one of the students who takes advantage of all the opportunities here.”
Part of Sauseru’s purpose of coming to school is to help his dad expand the family business, he said. When he graduates, he plans to support and help his siblings.
“Education is a very challenging task…when you think about the future, you think about goals, and that’s what makes me keep going.”
Stan Mesui, a sophomore majoring in graphic design from Tonga, said he served a mission in Solomon Islands and met Sauseru’s family. He said Sauseru was on a mission in Papua New Guinea at the time and Mesui did not meet him until this semester.
Mesui said, “Sauseru’s family was very kind, happy, and always helped the missionaries. They gave us food every time we were hungry.”
Sauseru said four or five more students from Solomon Islands will be attending BYUH next year.
Writer: Brooklyn Redd