{"id":15610,"date":"2022-05-06T12:06:48","date_gmt":"2022-05-06T17:06:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/?p=15610"},"modified":"2022-05-06T12:06:48","modified_gmt":"2022-05-06T17:06:48","slug":"60-second-interview-tofuola-clark-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/2022\/05\/06\/60-second-interview-tofuola-clark-2\/","title":{"rendered":"60-Second Interview: Tofuola Clark"},"content":{"rendered":"

This May, we want to celebrate\u00a0Asian\/Pacific American Heritage Month<\/a>\u00a0and the many generations fortifying our nation\u2019s historical fabric and playing an important part in our future success. In this 60-second interview series, we\u2019ll speak with some of our own employees to learn more about their culture and how they celebrate Asian\/Pacific American Heritage Month.<\/p>\n

Let’s hear from Tofuola Clark who is General Manager at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

What’s your Envoy story?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve been with Envoy an astounding three years and seven months to be exact.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>I first joined Envoy as a General Manager for Del Rio, Texas. Then I took on a temporary duty position in Madison in January 2020 where I was eventually<\/span><\/span> promoted to General Manager for MSN, <\/span>and I have been here ever since.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My day-to-day responsibilities consist of maintaining company standards of safety and security for employees and our customers. I establish relationships through engagement, collaboration, and inclusiveness with internal and external stakeholders.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tofuola Clark (center) with her Envoy colleagues at MSN airport next to an E175 aircraft. (Photo courtesy of Tofuola Clark.)<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I also act as liaison between the Envoy and our parent company, American Airlines, as well as <\/span>various other airlines and organizations.<\/span> I also preserve the integrity and ethical values of the station as it relates to audits, compliance and regulatory mandates.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the significance of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month to you?\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s important to have a month that recognizes my Asian American and Pacific Islander people. It also educates the world about our background, cultures, and what makes us unique. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

There’s some misconceptions that we still live in huts and wear grass skirts back home in American Samoa and the Samoan islands. However, people forget that<\/span> American Samoa became a U.S territory starting in 1900, and the Manu\u2019a islands followed suit in 1904.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Do you have any favorite historical figures?<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yes, <\/span>Uinifareti<\/span> Rapi Sotoa (pictured above), a student of my alma-mater <\/span>Samoana<\/span> High School, is one of my all-time favorite historical figures. He <\/span>entered into<\/span>\u00a0a flag design contest at\u00a0<\/span>Samoana<\/span>\u00a0High School, having the winning submission featuring both U.S and Samoan\u00a0flag art.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

His flag design was officially adopted as the island\u2019s first flag design on April 17, 1960. The red, white, and blue on the flag are traditional colors in both Samoa and the United States. The eagle soaring holds in its talons two traditional Samoan emblems, a fly whisk (<\/span>fue<\/span>) and a war club (<\/span>uatogi<\/span>). These items symbolize the\u00a0<\/span>wisdom<\/span> of Samoa\u2019s traditional chiefs, and the power of the state. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

“She proves them all wrong.”<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Tofuola (right) with her mother, Dr. Va’asa Uluiva Simanu. (Photo courtesy of Tofuola Clark.)<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Who in your life has inspired you or is your role model? <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

My mother, Dr. <\/span>Va\u2019asa<\/span>Uluiva<\/span> Simanu, is my inspiration. When the world tells that woman, \u201cNo\u201d and that she can\u2019t do it, she proves them all wrong. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My mother is an alluring person inside and out with a beautiful soul. She is smart, a workaholic, a goal getter, woman boss, and classy in her own way.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In 2020, she ran for House representative District #4 <\/span>Saole<\/span>\u00a0in American Samoa. Unfortunately, she did not win, however; in my eyes she is a winner. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What she did was not just inspiring to me but to others as well. Growing up in a male-dominate island and culture, it is rare to see women hold high positions in the government back home and getting into politics. <\/span>In this day and age<\/span>, women are coming up and finding their voice and place on our island while making a\u00a0<\/span>positive changes \u2014<\/span> I just love that!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

How do you like to show your Asian Pacific American Pride? <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I display my Asian Pacific American Pride by wearing my Samoan Traditional attire (<\/span>puletasi<\/span>) with a flower on my left ear, which <\/span>identifies<\/span> that I am married. \u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“You can accomplish all things.”<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Tofuola Clark at the Great Wall of China during an unexpected 5K hike. (Photo courtesy of Tofuola Clark.)<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tell us one surprising fact about yourself that others may not know? <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2014, my cousin Cara Frye and I participated in The 13<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span> Great Wall of China Marathon. She was the reason why we were there. I was supposed to be a spectator taking pictures for her website. (<\/span><\/span>E<\/span>veryone that knows me knows I love taking pictures.)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Anyway, there was a mix up to <\/span>where I ended up participating in the 10K. Long story short, I did not train for this 10K, the coordinator handed me a backpack and said I was a warrior. I took that statement and completed a 5K instead and received a medal. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My grandfather <\/span>Saiuala<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Uluiva<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Simanu<\/span>\u00a0would say, \u201caua le\u00a0<\/span>pala<\/span>\u00a0ai\u00a0<\/span>mea<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>uma<\/span>\u00a0e\u00a0<\/span>fai<\/span>\u00a0le\u00a0<\/span>loto<\/span>\u00a0ma le\u00a0<\/span>fatu,”<\/span> which means \u201cdon\u2019t be scared, you accomplish all things if you have the guts and the heart to do it.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This May, we want to celebrate\u00a0Asian\/Pacific American Heritage Month\u00a0and the many generations fortifying our nation\u2019s historical fabric and playing an important part in our future success. In this 60-second interview series, we\u2019ll speak with some of our own employees to learn more about their culture and how they celebrate Asian\/Pacific American Heritage Month. Let’s hear […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":41837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[717,714,51,68,718,719,720],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15610"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}