Life can be lonely and confusing as a Polynesian student at one of the world’s top universities. Teyonna Jarman, a Stanford graduate with a mixed-race background, has set a precedent for what it’s like to navigate college life – and what comes after – for Polynesians.

According to Jarman, the journey to success starts off as one of self-discovery. A self-described “military brat” of half Black, half Samoan descent from two parents in the army, Jarman grew up in a blended cultural household in Germany.

“You have to balance these identities, and I think it gives you such a unique way of seeing the world,” Jarman says.

She thinks that understanding your background makes you stronger, ready for the trials to come. “We seek each other out and we find each other,” says Jarman. “You have something that reminds you of home. You have something that keeps you grounded.”

Then, continuing to find yourself becomes about reaching beyond your community. Jarman was determined to do just that during her time in school, with focus so sharp she earned the nickname “dictator” amongst her peers.

Naturally, nothing was out of her territory. “I was the type of person that got excited for math class,” said Jarman. “I was a part of student government. I was the person throwing all these special events, carnivals and dances and pep rallies, and I was a part of starting a whole club that was all about helping new students because I was a part of the military community.”

Making the most of your time in school, according to her, is just as much about what you do outside of the classroom as what you do in it. “I had more meetings than I did classes,” Jarman said. Her average day made school seem like a side hustle – she would have meetings with the principal, faculty members and/or the school board, followed by volleyball practice and tutoring the football team.

Even with her illustrious resume, Jarman learned soon after school that there are no guarantees in life. She was surprisingly waitlisted to the University of Chicago and multiple state schools.

A more positive lesson came from her acceptance by UC Berkeley and, even after originally failing to submit an application on time due to a common app system crash, being accepted by Stanford University. “You end up where you're meant to be,” said Jarman.

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For her, going to Stanford meant pushing the restart button in many ways. “There was no playbook. There was no example. I didn't know anyone that went to Stanford,” said Jarman.

But it was at Stanford that she learned the importance of starting over when after three years studying engineering, she realized through a senior-year epiphany that she wanted to follow a different path.

“I'm really bad at answering what I like, but I think it's okay if you start off with answering what you don't like,” said Jarman.

After university, she phased through the land of tech startups in Silicon Valley to end up following a newly discovered passion for live entertainment. Recognizing the strides made for the Polynesian community through media titles like “Moana,” and the prominence of Islander employment in event security roles, Jarman looks to the future: “the next step after representation is ownership.”

That ownership starts at home for the Polynesian community.

“Understanding where we come from is what’s going to get us to where we’re going,” according to Jarman. “If we lose where we come from, I don’t think where we’re going even really matters.”

Watch her tell the full inspiring story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCTM2ThToLc

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