My name is Thessa, and I’m Vivian’s second child and youngest daughter. I want to share something really special.

Last week, my mom successfully defended her dissertation (with no revisions!). She is now officially Dr. Vivian Malauulu!

Our family is incredibly proud of her and the work she put into reaching a goal she first set for herself when she was in high school. Even though her dissertation research is really complex (focusing on artificial intelligence, automation, and workforce development in the longshore industry), there is one part that really stayed with me.

If you’ve ever seen a dissertation, there’s a dedication and an acknowledgments section. She dedicated hers to her Abuelita, to her Mom, and to the four of us kids. In the acknowledgments, she thanked the people who supported her along the way. Reading those pages made me emotional because they reflect exactly who she is.

What many people don’t know is that my mom first started a doctoral program in 2001, when my older sister was just 15 months old. One month after starting, she found out she was pregnant with me. She made the difficult decision to step away and focus on our family. She always planned to return to school, but that opportunity didn’t happen for more than two decades.

She put her dream on hold to raise us. Growing up, she was the classroom mom, team mom, and even band mom. She showed up to every school event, field trip, and game. She helped fundraise, organized activities, traveled to tournaments, and made sure our friends felt supported, too. She made leis for graduations, provided pre-game meals, and celebrated birthdays and milestones. She has always been the person who shows up for everyone.

Because of that, I’m asking you to help us celebrate her.

She has been so focused on her dissertation and this campaign that she hasn’t taken time to celebrate her achievement. Even though the program she just completed lasted three years, it took her 25 years from when she first started her doctoral journey to finally finish.

Here she is right after her defense on March 31st. The other two photos are from my undergraduate commencement at UCLA in 2024 and my master’s graduation at Duke in 2025. Some of her colleagues at LBCC surprised her with that cake.

If you haven’t already maxed out, I’m asking you to consider making a $25 contribution to celebrate Dr. Vivian Malauulu and the 25 years of perseverance it took for her to return to school in her 50s and finish what she started.

Donate

As the kid she was pregnant with when she made the difficult decision to pause her dream, it means a lot to see her finally reach this goal. I hope you’ll join us in celebrating her by supporting her campaign.

Election Day is less than two months away and she’s working nonstop attending meet and greets, delivering lawn signs, phone banking, and knocking on doors. Your $25 contribution will help her reach more voters and keep the momentum going through Election Day.

With gratitude,

Thessa Malauulu

#2 of Vivian's 4 kids