Dr. Vidalino Raatior is a proud Chuukese international educator from the Pwaraka (pu-ah-ra-kah) & Alengeitaw (ah-long-ey-tao) clans in the Northwest region of Chuuk State, FSM. He comes to us from San Jose State University where he manages global education experiences for students and advises the Pacific Islander Student Association. He also serves as the Director of the Dr. Joakim Peter Memorial Scholarship.
I first met Dr. Vid here in Hawaii back in 2014 when the four us: myself, Dr. Vid, the late Dr. Jojo and Josie started to formulate the need for an organization led by Micronesians for Micronesian empowerment which became We Are Oceania (WAO), the sponsor of this summit. At that time, Dr. Vid was serving as the Director of the Pacific Islander Student Center at University of Hawaii at Hilo.
Dr. Vid has been working in educational settings for over 30 years. He is a proud product of public education throughout his entire elementary and high school in Chuuk State. He went on to graduate from University of Guam with a bachelor’s degree in Communications, earned a masters degree in school administration from University of San Francisco, and a doctor of education degree from UH Manoa.
Finally, I want to close this introduction to acknowledge that Dr. Vid’s leadership at UH Hilo started the Navigating Success movement to inspire, inform, and encourage Pacific Islander students for college, career, and community readiness. This Micronesian Youth Summit on Oahu was inspired and modeled after that movement in Hilo. So it’s only fitting that we finally have Dr. Vid here for the first time to be our community keynote speaker. Today, Dr. Vid will share some things he has learned along the way to reach his goals.
Please help me welcome Dr. Vid.