Name: Terry Tuitui Moea’i
BYUH employee since… 2021.
BYUH alum, class of 2008.
My job at BYUH is… the senior manager of Student Leadership & Service.
I grew up in… Hau'ula, Hawaii.
I served a mission in… the Japan Sapporo Mission from 1989-1991.
I chose to work at BYUH… to give back the gift of education that I received from this university.
My most cherished memory in BYUH… is working with two amazing women and coordinators of SLS, Jacquie Alisa and Melanie Kauvaka. They are both dedicated and committed to excellence in creating a meaningful experience in leading and serving like the Savior here at BYU–Hawaii. Over the last three years, we’ve accomplished many amazing things, I’ve noticed students seem more engaged and participating in leadership, club service, and helping students understand how to fulfill the mission of the university.
A project I am currently working on is… Culture Night 2025. Although the mission of the event has always been the same, we’ve learned and changed a lot of things, and it has evolved ever since I came.
What sparked my interest in my field is… the group dynamic class I took during my time here at BYUH. I initially went into hospitality and tourism management (HTM), but that class changed the way I saw the world, so I changed my major from HTM to intercultural studies. The basic fundamentals of peacemaking were laid there, and I learned to deal with people and leverage everything I’ve learned to use them in a professional setting.
On Saturday mornings, you’ll find me… cleaning the yard and doing laundry.
The next big trip I’m interested in… is always Japan. After serving my mission there, I’ve had multiple jobs that allowed me to keep my mission language, and it’s always nice to go there again.
When I have 30 minutes of free time… I sing and listen to music in my office. I use that time to focus on the dozens of things that I do day by day. This helps me unwind and prepare.
My favorite hike on the island is… a four and a four-and-a-half-mile hike that me and a group of older guys do at 5 am in the morning; we walk from the front of the PCC, go up to the water tower in the back, come all the way around Laie Park, and back to our home.
My go-to comfort food is… spam and spaghetti.
I have always… loved love songs. I’m an old soul, so I love to listen to old music. I connect with my youngest daughter this way by listening to a lot of love songs from the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
My favorite way to spend a day off is… with my wife, Joanne, doing whatever. I don’t care, as long as I’m with her.
My most embarrassing moment here at BYUH was… a student confused me for my twin brother, who’s an adjunct professor here. It was harder for me to explain that I was Terry, not Kerry, so I just pretended I was him the entire time the student was talking to me.
My all-time favorite quote is… one from my father: “Knowing who you are is knowing where you’ve come from.” I think it’s an invitation to remind me that no matter all the things that I’ve achieved, I wouldn’t be where I am without the people who have come before me and prepared the way for me.