M.A.E.D./E.C.N. Multicultural Counselor

Eveni S. Tafiti was born and reared in a farm on the big island of Savaii, Western Samoa.  His mother was the daughter of a Samoan mother and a Chinese father.   His father was the son of Samoan parents.   He is therefore a true Asian/Pacific Islander.

Eveni  was educated in a private school owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and attended private school starting in the first grade on through to the twelth grade.  After graduating from high school he worked for LDS Construction for ten months and then served a two year full time mission for the Church in Samoa.  Upon returning home from his mission, he worked as a clerk for the LDS Translation and Distribution Center for one year.

Eveni left Samoa after he received notice that he was accepted into college at Brigham Young University-Hawaii Campus in Laie, Hawaii.  There he studied and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Social Work (BSW) from BYU-HC.  He then moved to Salt Lake City, Utah and worked at Youth Services for several years.

After several years he went back to Hawaii and worked for a community organization, Palama Settlement, as a Community Youth Worker for one year.  He then accepted a position of Case Worker with Program Services in the Administrative Office of the Courts, Hawaii State Judiciary the following year, where he worked at that position for one year.  He was promoted to a  Social Worker Level II/Court Officer position with Adult Service Branch (ASB) in the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) unit  the following year.  He worked in this position for three years until he moved back to Salt Lake City, Utah.

His first employment after a few months in Salt Lake City was with Youth Corrections as a part time Youth Technician at Decker Lake Secure Facility.  At Decker Lake he worked for seven years until he left three years ago to work as a part time Youth Worker for Salt Lake County Youth Services. While working part time for Youth Facilities for ten years he was also working full time for a private agency called Colors of Success, Inc..  Colors of Success, Inc. runs a school base gang prevention/intervention unit in the Salt Lake School District and the Ogden School District.  

Eveni resigned his position as a Senior Site-Coordinator with the Colors of Success, Inc. on July 18, 2003 to work as a Counselor at Weber State University on July 21, 2003.

Eveni is a member of the United States Army Reserve and has been a reservist for 18 years and still has three years of obligation.  He serves as a Personnel Service and Administrative Non-Commissioned Officer.  He is in the 96^th Army Reserve Support Command (RSC) Headquarters Company.  His office produces the active duty orders for the soldiers going to war and he makes sure that the soldier's records are in order before the call comes and before they go to active duty.  He is also a volunteer Merit Badge Counselor for the Boys Scouts of America.

He went back to school in June, 2001 at the University of Phoenix, Utah Campus and graduated on 3 May, 2003 with a Master of Arts in Education/ Educational Counseling (MAED/ECN).   He was offered the position of Multicultural Counselor by the Dean of Students and the Services for Multicultural Students Search Committee the first week of July, 2003.  He is grateful and happy to be here at Weber State University Campus as a member of the service team.   He is excited to help students with their individual goals and needs.   And we are happy that he is here.  Welcome aboard Eveni.