Collegefirst generation studentsfirst generation college students

First Generation College Students: The Optimist

First Generation College Students: The Optimist
Open Image Modal
By 

Senior Editor/Reporter, The Huffington Post

|

Keresoma, or “Soma” Leio comes from a tightly knit Samoan family. Through high school, he lived in a small three-bedroom home in south Los Angeles with nine other members of his extended family. The living room couch was his bed.

As a student at Paramount High School, Leio was very involved in extracurriculars: he was a two-sport athlete, president of the school’s Pacific Islanders Club, played drums for his church band and was an avid Haka warrior dancer.

Read more on RealClearEducation

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip