2021 was a big year for these five extraordinary nesians defying odds and exceeding expectations in various fields from Entertainment to STEM! Take a look at these Inspiring Islanders who made major moves in 2021...

1. Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa

In 2021 Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa became the leader of the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party and won the Samoan General Election. She is now Samoa's first female Prime Minister and was listed in BBC's Top 100 Women of the year. The trailblazing Samoan politian had a big year and joins a small but strong group of female leaders around the world proving that women can play a pivitol role in global politics. 

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2. Jerry Tuwai

This year was also the year of the Tokyo Summer Olypics. All our Pacific athletes who journeyed to Japan made us incredibly proud. In particular the Fijian champions who took home Olympic gold in rugby 7s had an epic pull on the collective heartstrings of Pacific people. Captain Jerry Tuwai and his team did it again! Winning the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and again at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Pacific Athletes like Jerry Tuwai brought joy to Moana people around the world.

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3. Fonoifafo McFarland-Seumanu

Although 2020 will go down in history at the year that started a Pandemic 2021 still held the harsh impacts of Covid19. This year health professionals were once again pushed to their limits and gave their all to protect communities. Amoungst these essential heroes was Miss Pacific Islands Fonoifafo. She put down her crown and sash to pick up her gloves and needles. The Registered Nurse was a part of the hardworking team that vaccinated her community in Aotearoa. 

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4. Toa Frazer

If you look up hit Netflix shows of 2021 "Sweet Tooth" will come up. One of the names behind this streaming success was Fijian/Samoan Playwright and Director Toa Fraser. He was a Co-Executive Producer for the project, directed two episodes and helped showrunner Jim Mickle guide the season. Sweet Tooth trended on no.1 in various countries on the Netflix streaming charts during its release. Toa Frazer also came out this year as a fighter living with Young Onset Parkinsonsand inspired the world with his brave testimony on Parkinsons Awareness Month. 

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5. Nicole Yamese

She may be from "Micro"nesia but this small island girl is making BIG moves. This year Nicole Yamese became the first Pacific Islander, the third woman, and, at 29, the second-youngest person to visit Challenger Deep, the deepest known part of the Mariana Trench. The ispiring islander is a marine scientist studying a PhD on the effects of climate change on macroalgae and nearshores marine plants at the University of Hawaii. Her experience in this field afforded her the opportunity to explore a place that has been visited by fewer people than have flown to the moon. A place thats Pitch black, 11km down and takes 10 hours to travel down to. This may be the first year you hear of Nicole Yamese but it wont be the last as she continues to pave the way for Pasifika women smashing the class ceiling in STEM.