Malie Kristina Niu

DOB: 12/08/1996
As a Polynesian I will forever be bound to the three most taught principles in our culture:
respect, religion, and contribution. These are the traits that have been stressed for me to learn and
apply to my life. Respect: greet the janitor the same way you would greet the CEO. Religion: as
a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I was raised to uphold my
standards and beliefs no matter where I am placed in this world. Contribution: to give little is
better than to not give at all, give your best because in the end its not how much you have
received but how willing you are to put the needs of others before your own.
My older sister and I never see eye to eye on things; we always ended our
conversations in a heated argument that needed to be broken up by my mother and two younger
brothers. That was until my father stepped in and told me that I need to realize that even though
my sister is acting like another parent it is only because she has my best interest at heart and has
been through it herself. Having respect for others, especially our elders, is essential in the
Polynesian culture. It is important to know your place when it comes to those who are older and
wiser.
The beliefs in the LDS church inspire my entire way of living life. I was born and raised
by the standards and morals the church sets up for their members; it has done nothing but shower
blessings over my family and me. As a young woman of the church I strive to have faith, divine
nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works, integrity, and virtue.

I am far from perfect but being able to have values that will never change helps me build a
foundation I know will be stable.
My parents examples are the main reasons of why giving back is so vital to me. I cannot
remember a time where we werent struggling but my parents would still give others everything
we had to offer. As long as I know and God knows of the things that Ive done then nothing else
matters my father would say. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough, but
give your best anyways.
For as long as I can remember it was my father who made sure those qualities were
established in our household. I would apply these values in my studies, in the way I interact with
others, and in the way I hope to soon represent the university if I were to be accepted. To gain
knowledge from such a superb school would give me the opportunity to help go back to my
hometown and give back to the community that has shaped me into the person I am today.