Photo Courtesy of Gregory Yamamoto, ScoringLive.com

As a Farrington High School sophomore two years ago, Onolina Taotofi was often using her hands to rough people up and get into trouble. These days, she uses them to block volleyballs at the net or spike them down to the opponents' side of the floor.

Taotofi also uses her hands to turn textbook pages and take care of other schoolwork in preparation for next month's graduation ceremony and her freshman year at Taft (Calif.) College.

And someday in the not-so-distant future, she hopes to use those same hands to steer other kids away from gangs and into a path toward being a productive citizen.

"I want to come back and help kids like me, kids who are going through what I went through," Taotofi said. "It's important for them to see that they can have opportunities like this, too, no matter their background." 

FIGHTS EVERY WEEK

Taotofi's background is similar to many at Farrington -- growing up at Kuhio Park Terrace surrounded by poverty, bad elements and temptation. 

"I was in a gang, with people I grew up with," Taotofi said. "I was the only girl, so if there was a problem with a girl, I would take care of it. I would usually fight every week."

This lifestyle extended to campus and resulted in failing grades and regular trips to vice principal Ronald Oyama's office.

Adult Friends for Youth -- a Honolulu-based non-profit social services program geared toward helping at-risk children -- stepped in, and mentor Malakai "Mo" Maumalanga said he noticed something about Taotofi right away.

"She was real sweet, a nice kid," Maumalanga said. "When other people described her to me, and then when I met her ... it was two different things. Almost the total opposite."

But Maumalanga said it took patience and time to turn Taotofi around, beginning from the middle of her freshman year until into the first semester of her junior year.

"It's easy for these kids to get sucked in (to gang life)," Maumalanga said. "A lot of them have plenty of potential, the majority of them are smart. But they lose focus and lose hope, and after a while they fall back into it, because that's all they know.

"We had to get more involved with (Taotofi), because she was always using her hands to solve problems."

TURNING POINT

With many kids, Maumalanga said he tries to "push them toward sports," and Taotofi had potential as an athletic 6-foot-1 middle blocker. But she was kicked off the team her junior year for fighting.

Taotofi said a turning point came when her mom scolded her for giving everybody such a hard time.

"She cried, and then I started to get emotional," Taotofi said. "I knew I had to change for her, and for myself."

Through Adult Friends for Youth's "Redirectional Method" aimed at very high-risk kids, she received counseling to learn alternate ways of addressing her negative behavior and anger. Her grades improved, and she had a successful senior season of volleyball.

"(Maumalanga) would ask questions about what I was doing, he made me think, and every time I came to practice, Coach (Reagan) Agena said no (gang) rags," Taotofi said. "He would talk to me about my grades."

Oyama encouraged her to think about playing college volleyball and later -- with the support of several sponsors -- Taotofi joined the Impact Hawai'i Volleyball club. At a prestigious club tournament in Las Vegas two months ago, Taotofi drew the attention of Taft head coach Kanoe Bandy, who invited Taotofi to join the team in the fall.

"This is a great success story, it shows that anything is possible," said State Rep. John Mizuno (D-Kalihi Valley, Kamehameha Heights, Moanalua, Fort Shafter), who presented Taotofi with a proclamation at an April 15 school assembly. "She can be a shining light for so many kids in the Kalihi area, she can lead by example because she has such an outstanding future. A lot of people got involved and helped her, and it sets the stage to show that the system can work if we allow it to work."

'NOW I'M MOTIVATED'

Taotofi said the thought of playing college volleyball and eventually earning a social work degree has helped shift her focus from fighting to studying and training.

"Now I'm motivated," she said. "After I changed my grades, I realized this would improve my life and get me ready for college." 

And in what might be the best part of all, her story was told in front of over 2,000 fellow Governors at Friday's assembly -- hopefully inspiring others to follow her lead.

"I felt excited," she said.