Mia Rose Tuifua
Paly Class of 2023
UC Riverside, Political Science
UC Riverside, Political Science
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Updated 9/29/24
What was your experience at Paly (Palo Alto High School ) like?
Mia: I transferred to Paly during my sophomore year from Menlo-Atherton. That was during covid, which was hard, but my experience at Paly was amazing. I had a lot of support from the faculty. I was also the ASB representative for Site Council, which allowed me to work closely with the principal and other faculty and I thought that Paly offered me a lot of support and resources.
I was raised in the East Palo Alto School District. I was a part of the Tinsley Voluntary Transfer Program. I was able to go to school in Redwood City, but ultimately I was able to transfer to Palo Alto. It was a very drastic change in academic standards going from Menlo-Atherton to Paly. It was very difficult, especially because, because I wasn't in the Palo Alto school district, I wasn't offered many of the classes that were offered in Palo Alto. . So although the classes that in my previous school district were advanced, when I got to Paly, it seemed that all of the kids had already been taking those classes in middle school. So I felt that I had a lot of catching up to do.
Are there any particular teachers or administrators at Paly that you feel were particularly helpful?
Mia: My academic advisor, Ms. Filppu, was the best mentor that I could ever ask for. She helped me through a lot and wrote my college recommendation letters. I also feel the same way about Mr. Gallagher, who was my ASB advisor. Both of these teachers definitely helped me both in school, and in my personal life.
How did you decide to go to UC Riverside?
Mia: After talking with Ms. Filppu a lot, I thought UC Riverside best catered to me and the qualities that make me unique: being a first-generation college student and also being a first-generation American. I found out that many UC Riverside students came from similar backgrounds to mine, and I thought that I would get the most support at such a school. They also offered me the most financial aid money. I'm on a full ride scholarship.
How did you decide on your major?
Mia: I've always known that I wanted to do something related to politics. It wasn't until my senior year in ASB, when Mr. Gallagher and my classmates helped me realize that I really wanted to focus on Foreign Policy and International Affairs. I also took Ms Filppu’s AP seminar and AP research classes my senior year. My projects all focused on NATO, the UN, and foreign policy, so that piqued my interest even more.
How has your college experience been? What challenges have you faced?
Mia: My college experience so far has been great. I decided to continue my passion for service work and student government. So I ran, and I am currently the CHASS (College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences) Senator Elect for this upcoming school year. I also decided to add the double major last quarter, because Philosophy is also something that I am very passionate about. Academically, I haven't found that many challenges. And I will say I feel that it's because I went to Paly, which really prepared me well. For me, the biggest challenge was just being away from my family. My parents have four children and I'm the first to attend a four-year university. Seeing how hard it was on them for me to move away was definitely a challenge for me.
What role has RTE played in your college experience?
Mia: So I think there are two big roles that RTE played for me last year. Since I'm first-generation, I feel that I have to navigate a lot of college related things by myself, not because my parents don't want to help me, they just don't have knowledge about college. So there are a lot of things that I have to handle by myself. And having Melanie [Norall], who's my RTE mentor, be there for me was really, really helpful and beneficial to me. Any college related questions I have, I ask Melanie, she always helps me. She's just always there for me, even for non-college related questions. Last summer was hard for me, and I didn't expect the person I reached out to to be Melanie, but it was, and she helped me through it.
The second part is the financial role. Although I'm on a full ride for tuition, there are other expenses like textbooks. I wasn't expecting them to be as expensive as they are. Luckily, I had the RTE check that I received before school started, which was super helpful, and allowed me to pay for my textbooks as well as other things that a typical college student needs.
Who are your role models?
Mia: My role models are definitely my mom and my dad. I would also say Miss Filppu, as I've mentioned before, she was a very impactful person in my life.
What is your goal for the future?
Mia: After college, I would like to pursue a degree in law, and I want to do that through the US Space Force. I've already achieved one goal that I've been wanting to do for a very long time: I'm currently the Californians for All Fellow for the mayor's office in Riverside. Working in the mayor's office is really fun, and I've seen the different paths that local government can offer. In the future I hope to work in local government. But ultimately, I'd like to go to the Space Force after I graduate and earn a law degree. My ultimate dream job is to be a US ambassador for the UN.
What advice would you give Paly students who are going through what you did when you were at Paly?
Mia: I think my biggest piece of advice to Paly students who were in my position is to really utilize all of the resources that Paly has to offer. Had I not transferred to Paly, I wouldn't have been able to be a part of RTE or to have so many advisors who catered to me personally.
What was your experience at Paly (Palo Alto High School ) like?
Mia: I transferred to Paly during my sophomore year from Menlo-Atherton. That was during covid, which was hard, but my experience at Paly was amazing. I had a lot of support from the faculty. I was also the ASB representative for Site Council, which allowed me to work closely with the principal and other faculty and I thought that Paly offered me a lot of support and resources.
I was raised in the East Palo Alto School District. I was a part of the Tinsley Voluntary Transfer Program. I was able to go to school in Redwood City, but ultimately I was able to transfer to Palo Alto. It was a very drastic change in academic standards going from Menlo-Atherton to Paly. It was very difficult, especially because, because I wasn't in the Palo Alto school district, I wasn't offered many of the classes that were offered in Palo Alto. . So although the classes that in my previous school district were advanced, when I got to Paly, it seemed that all of the kids had already been taking those classes in middle school. So I felt that I had a lot of catching up to do.
Are there any particular teachers or administrators at Paly that you feel were particularly helpful?
Mia: My academic advisor, Ms. Filppu, was the best mentor that I could ever ask for. She helped me through a lot and wrote my college recommendation letters. I also feel the same way about Mr. Gallagher, who was my ASB advisor. Both of these teachers definitely helped me both in school, and in my personal life.
How did you decide to go to UC Riverside?
Mia: After talking with Ms. Filppu a lot, I thought UC Riverside best catered to me and the qualities that make me unique: being a first-generation college student and also being a first-generation American. I found out that many UC Riverside students came from similar backgrounds to mine, and I thought that I would get the most support at such a school. They also offered me the most financial aid money. I'm on a full ride scholarship.
How did you decide on your major?
Mia: I've always known that I wanted to do something related to politics. It wasn't until my senior year in ASB, when Mr. Gallagher and my classmates helped me realize that I really wanted to focus on Foreign Policy and International Affairs. I also took Ms Filppu’s AP seminar and AP research classes my senior year. My projects all focused on NATO, the UN, and foreign policy, so that piqued my interest even more.
How has your college experience been? What challenges have you faced?
Mia: My college experience so far has been great. I decided to continue my passion for service work and student government. So I ran, and I am currently the CHASS (College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences) Senator Elect for this upcoming school year. I also decided to add the double major last quarter, because Philosophy is also something that I am very passionate about. Academically, I haven't found that many challenges. And I will say I feel that it's because I went to Paly, which really prepared me well. For me, the biggest challenge was just being away from my family. My parents have four children and I'm the first to attend a four-year university. Seeing how hard it was on them for me to move away was definitely a challenge for me.
What role has RTE played in your college experience?
Mia: So I think there are two big roles that RTE played for me last year. Since I'm first-generation, I feel that I have to navigate a lot of college related things by myself, not because my parents don't want to help me, they just don't have knowledge about college. So there are a lot of things that I have to handle by myself. And having Melanie [Norall], who's my RTE mentor, be there for me was really, really helpful and beneficial to me. Any college related questions I have, I ask Melanie, she always helps me. She's just always there for me, even for non-college related questions. Last summer was hard for me, and I didn't expect the person I reached out to to be Melanie, but it was, and she helped me through it.
The second part is the financial role. Although I'm on a full ride for tuition, there are other expenses like textbooks. I wasn't expecting them to be as expensive as they are. Luckily, I had the RTE check that I received before school started, which was super helpful, and allowed me to pay for my textbooks as well as other things that a typical college student needs.
Who are your role models?
Mia: My role models are definitely my mom and my dad. I would also say Miss Filppu, as I've mentioned before, she was a very impactful person in my life.
What is your goal for the future?
Mia: After college, I would like to pursue a degree in law, and I want to do that through the US Space Force. I've already achieved one goal that I've been wanting to do for a very long time: I'm currently the Californians for All Fellow for the mayor's office in Riverside. Working in the mayor's office is really fun, and I've seen the different paths that local government can offer. In the future I hope to work in local government. But ultimately, I'd like to go to the Space Force after I graduate and earn a law degree. My ultimate dream job is to be a US ambassador for the UN.
What advice would you give Paly students who are going through what you did when you were at Paly?
Mia: I think my biggest piece of advice to Paly students who were in my position is to really utilize all of the resources that Paly has to offer. Had I not transferred to Paly, I wouldn't have been able to be a part of RTE or to have so many advisors who catered to me personally.