For a young woman of her age, Miss Lototau Agency, Moelotoleulalemamae Vitolia Tuileapa-Tiatia would surprise many with her deep knowledge of Samoan culture.

But it wouldn't come as a surprise, as the 22-year-old of Avao, Fagamalo, Salimu Fagaloa, Alamagoto and Malifa villages believes strongly in the link between culture and language. So much so that the work of the late Samoan scholar, Aiono Dr. Fanaafi Le Tagaloa would immediately connect with her.

“When there is no language, there is no culture and when there is no culture, darkness descends on the village," was a famous quote of the late Aiono.

It is from that vain that Ms. Tiatia hopes to use the Miss Samoa platform to encourage the youth of Samoa to speak in Samoan, in order for them to address the concerns expressed about the survival of the Samoan language as more young people opt for English.

"I really entered to make a statement and leave my mark," Ms. Tiatia said. 

As a former student of Le Amosa o Savavau Preparatory School, the contestant was born in New Zealand and shared that it was inside the fale Samoa and under the trees which they used as classrooms that made her fall in love with the Samoan language.

She was mesmerised by the storytelling of the late Aiono and all her former mentors including the late Kasiano Leaupepe, Le Tagaloa Pita just to name a few. 

"I mean this in the most respectful way possible, but our language is very important and dear to my heart. You can't advocate culture if you can't speak the language," said Ms. Tiatia. "Before the missionaries came to Samoa, we didn't have books and the only way we could learn aside from observing the elders, was through talanoa. 

"Story-telling is very important and is part of who we are and our identity and I prefer telling the stories of my ancestors in our mother tongue instead of using a foreign language. I think our language is so advanced, rich and in-depth. 

"There's just something about listening to our elders talk in the Samoan oratory that really inspires and makes me proud of who I am and what I am. It's sad to see that more young children nowadays prefer speaking in English which is our second language and not our mother tongue. 

"So for me, and I say this with the utmost respect to my other fellow Samoan sisters who can't speak Samoan fluently, I want to use this platform to encourage young tama'ita'i Samoa to speak our language and our mother tongue."

Ms. Tiatia also believes that being fluent in Samoan should be a requirement for one to participate in the Miss Samoa pageant. 

"There's no doubt that whoever holds the title will go out to be an example for other Samoan girls and she will go out to represent all the young tama'ita'i Samoa in the Miss Pacific Island pageant. 

"That is why it's important to have that as a criteria so that whoever wins will be able to represent all the values that make a tama'ita'i Samoa including the ability to speak to your own people in our own unique and rich language."

The challenges with trying to maintain the Samoan language start at home as well as the education system, according to the contestant. 

"All the subjects in school are taught in English and not Gagana Samoa. Therefore, we have young people walking around speaking not in Samoan but in English. Those are the signals that we should look for and take note of and should be concerned about."

Promoting the use of one's mother tongue as one's identity, Ms. Tiatia said having the ability to speak Samoan makes Samoans unique and different from the rest of the world. 

"What I am pushing for is to hold on to our language, our native language because it is part of our identity and who we are. It's what makes us different from the rest of the world. It's unique, rich and one of the most beautiful languages that exists. 

"I say this because if you value our language, you speak our language, value it, it will be easier for you to embrace all the other aspects of our culture. It will help you know where you come from, who we are what we are made of and what we can do for our country and community."

It was her love for the Samoan language and oratory that got her hooked on the arts and she decided to pursue a career in arts – in order to keep the Samoan culture alive – by enrolling at the Congregational Christian Church Samoa's School of Fine Arts at Leulumoega. According to Ms. Tiatia, her decision was not welcomed at first by her parents.

"Not everyone is meant to sit in an office and work for the government. You will have to take the risk. If you are passionate about something and scared that your family may not agree with it, take the risk," she said. "I know a lot of us don't want to disappoint our parents and the truth is sometimes parental expectations can be too high for some of us who want to pursue our own dreams.

"It's the reality of the life we have, sometimes our parents don't think we know what we are doing, therefore, they want to make decisions for us and choose the path that we should take. 

"And in doing so, we have people taking up professions they are not passionate about and they are unhappy with what they are doing. I mean what's fun about that? 

"If you want to hustle in this life, you have to at least do something that makes you happy and you are passionate about. I know in Samoa we don't really talk about mental health or accept it, but I feel a lot of youth are pressured mentally because of this very reason."

At the age of 17, the Siva Samoa enthusiast became an entrepreneur. She started by making organic deodorant which was a science project she worked on at school, and sold it to her friends and relatives and it only grew from there. Her business, ReVitolise has expanded and entered the local fashion market, which has seen her come up with her own patterns, designs and printing fabric as well as baking pastries. 

That's not all, she is a final year student at the School of Fine Art at Leulumoega and she is the only female student at the school.

She also hopes to use the Miss Samoa platform to pay homage to the values, knowledge, wisdom and values instilled in her by all her mentors who have played a huge part in her upbringing.

"Two months ago, my mother talked to me about entering the Miss Samoa pageant and I agreed. But I had a change of heart a couple of weeks after that because I started to doubt myself and thought I wasn't good enough to run as a contestant. 

"Also I've always been conservative and am not used to being in the limelight. So entering the pageant and putting myself out there is quite a big step for me and it does not get easy I tell you. 

"I still have doubts, but I owe it to those who have contributed to my upbringing to honour their teachings and legacy through this platform. I am comforted knowing that my loved ones who have gone on to be with God are with me through this journey and I hope I can make them proud."

Ms. Tiatia then credited her journey to her mother, Tiatia Roberta Tiatia. Moelotoleulalemamae is the second eldest daughter out of Tiatia Roberta Tiatia and Tupa'i Tom Tuilaepa's children. She is contestant number two and is proudly sponsored by Lototau Agency at Lalovaea.