Elisaia Sualua Ma‘ilo teaches 11th grade United States history and Advanced Placement (AP) United States history at Tafuna High School in Pago Pago, American Samoa.

Ma‘ilo received a Bachelor of Arts in political science at the University of Hawai‘i Manoa and earned a Master of Science in organizational leadership at Argosy University.

Ma‘ilo earned the U.S. Territories Gilder Lehrman Teacher of the Year award this year. He is the highest-scoring AP teacher in American Samoa and the first AP reader from the island territory. Ma‘ilo devised and implemented an academic intervention program at his school that was adopted districtwide four years later. He researched and helped to develop his school’s literacy program and is still involved in its implementation.

He is a music festival coach, speech festival coach and National History Day coach at Tafuna, where he also has led the Professional Learning Community Team for the past four years. He volunteers with the Moso‘oi Festival of Arts and sings in the American Samoa Arts Council Choir. Ma‘ilo’s aim is to perpetuate the Samoan culture through the arts. He is also a member of the youth group at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, which helps the community through cleanups and by donating to local charities.