Washington DC, April 09, 2019- On Thursday, 21st of March 2019, student-members of the Pacific Island Law Student Association (PILA) from William S. Richardson School of Law in Honolulu, Hawaii paid a courtesy call on Ambassador Susaia. Those who attended the call include Mr. Eddie Yeichy 3rd year Law Student, Mr. Rockyner Hadley 1st year law student, and Ms. Beverlyn Simina 2nd year law student. They were accompanied by the President of their association Mr. Ian Tapu, who is also 2nd year law student. All four students were in town to attend and participate in the “People of Color and the Future of Democracy” conference held at the American University.

In addition to the usual courtesy call, the group wanted to engage and establish networking opportunities with the Embassy as they did the same with other government and non-government entities in D.C. One of the group’s main goals raised with the Embassy was the support and promotion of Pacific Island students, or in our case FSM students, to pursue education in the field of law. Ambassador Susaia expressed his support for the group’s desire to entice more students to become lawyers, as he acknowledged the significance of the field.

Ambassador Susaia also took the opportunity to briefed the group on Embassy’s engagement with the host government especially regarding post 2023 Compact. He also provided an overview of programs under the Financial Provisions of the Compact that are set to expire in 2023.