Aloha! My name is Veamoniti Lautaha. My wife, Vika, and I are happy parents of our son, Vermont; and concerned residents of District 36, Waipahu. I come to you today and humbly ask you to serve as your next representative for State House District 36. As your representative, I vow to fight tirelessly to improve the QUALITY of our LIVES, our FAMILIES, and our COMMUNITY.
I was born and raised in the Kingdom of Tonga, the only remaining Monarchy in the South Pacific. I am the youngest child of my parents' eight children. We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My parents were public primary school teachers but never had a chance to go to college. Coming to America was a dream almost impossible for many including my family.
In 1965, Veamoniti Lautaha Sr. (my father's youngest brother and my namesake) came to study at the Church College of Hawaii at Laie. In 1977, my father and three of my eldest siblings came to Hawaii to pursue a BETTER WAY OF LIFE. Through faith in God, hard work, perseverance, and good citizenship two of my siblings completed their graduate studies and subsequently found employment in both the government and private sector. Likewise, my third sibling became a successful small business owner as a general contractor.
24 years later, it was my turn. I landed at the Honolulu Airport accompanied by my father to pursue higher education and subsequently graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor's degree in pre-professional biology with a minor in information systems and technology. In 2012 I graduated with a Master's degree in Information System Management and again, through God's mercy and grace, last fall of 2021, I graduated earning a Ph.D. in Information Technology with a focus on Information Security and Assurance.
I am running for this office because the United States of America has made a difference in my own life. Through this great country, God has blessed and improved the circumstances of my family with many blessings to share with you, our community, and our country. This great country gave me opportunities to complete higher education, start a family with my wife, obtain US citizenship, secure employment with the Hawaii Department of Education, and become a small business owner - Living the American dream!
I humbly ask for your support and vote!