ASCC STUDENT SELECTED FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION INTERNSHIP IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
By James Kneubuhl, ASCC Press Officer
Faitolo Ueligitone Jr., a member of the Spring 2004 graduating class at the American Samoa Community College, will spend ten weeks this summer working as an intern in a substance abuse prevention program in the Washington, DC area.
Faitolo, age 21, will participate in an internship program offered by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), a division of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. As the sole Federal organization responsible for improving the accessibility and quality of substance abuse prevention services, CSAP provides national leadership in the development of policies, programs and services to prevent the onset of illegal drug use and underage alcohol and tobacco use.
The son of ASCC Business instructor Faitolo Sr. and Eseta Satele Ueligitone, Faitolo Jr. has already amassed considerable experience in both health service and counseling. For the past two years, he has worked part-time at the LBJ hospital as a physical therapy technician, while on-campus he has participated in the College’s Peer Mentor program and attended workshops on Crisis Intervention and Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention.
Following his internship in Washington, DC, Faitolo will enter U.H. Manoa in the fall as a Psychology major. As his long-term goal, he wants to return to American Samoa one day to work as a professional counselor in either education or health care. "I’d like to help people here discover the opportunities available to them," he says, "just like my counselors have helped me."
Faitolo gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Dr. Emilia Le’i of the ASCC Division of Student Services, who helped him successfully apply for the CSAP internship. Dr. Le’i made the initial connection with CSAP through her membership in the Integrated Substance Abuse Advisory Council, a local organization formed by Governor Togiola Tulafono.
ASCC Director of Student Services, Dr. Irene Helsham, also commended Faitolo for the quality of his application essay, his resume and his overall handling of the application process. "For their summer internship program, CSAP made one slot available for a student from the Pacific Islands," Dr. Helsham explained. "Students from Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Marianas also competed for that slot, which makes Faitolo’s selection by CSAP all the more of an accomplishment."
CSAP will cover Faitolo’s travel and housing costs, and will also pay him a salary for the time he spends with them. For more information on CSAP and its activities, visit their web site at: http://prevention.samhsa.gov.