Senior Spotlight: Zion Vaoifi is a Voice for Visibility

This piece is part of our Senior Stories series, in which we highlight GU students throughout the year.

Name: Zion Vaoifi
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Mililani, Hawaii

When Zion Vaoifi first left his hometown of Mililani, Hawaii, he knew he wanted more than just an education; he wanted to create change.

“It is a big deal to get off the island,” Vaoifi asserts. “That was pretty much my main push was to come out here and experience life away from home.”

Vaoifi’s passion for civil engagement and social justice began during his sophomore year of high school on a day called “Ku’i at the Capitol.”

“A bunch of native Hawaiian students come down to when the legislature opens to voice our opinions and show visibility for Native Hawaiian rights,” Vaoifi says.

Vaoifi explains that he and his peers had gathered to protest the construction of a large telescope that was planned to be built on a sacred Hawaiian mountain.

“That was the first time I had ever actually gotten civically engaged. It was definitely my turning point.”

At Gonzaga, he has turned this realization into action. As a social justice peer educator, Vaoifi has delivered presentations and lectures on a variety of social justice issues including powers of assumption, interrupting microaggressions and the importance of allyship.

Vaoifi emphasized his gratitude for his ability to work in a position that he is passionate about and that makes a difference.

“I feel like social justice work oftentimes it's something that goes either underpaid or unpaid at all,” he says.

However, his work isn't without challenges. He has spoken out about the looming threat of budget cuts to DEI programs — an effort he views as essential to overcome in order to maintain meaningful representation on campus, noting that “it is about making sure that difficult work, like DEI work, is also meeting the compensation that's respectable for the work.”

As he looks ahead to his future as a paralegal, Vaoifi remains focused on building the skills and experiences that will allow him to make a meaningful impact, whether through advocacy, the legal field, or beyond.