Leina Ulutoa “exemplifies the best of the best”

“I just want to be a good support where I need to be and a good leader where I need to be,” says Leina Ulutoa of her approach to life and leadership. It’s an attitude that serves her well on the court and in the classroom.

The 4.0 student, star athlete and school leader recently received the Winslow Nichols Leadership Award, presented by Logan Health.

The Ronan High senior is a standout player for the Maidens volleyball and basketball teams. She was class president her freshman, sophomore and junior years, and is currently RHS Student Body president – and that’s just a handful of her accomplishments.

“Leina has woven her high school career with strands of academic and extra-curricular excellence, community service, and the recognition of her faith and Samoan heritage,” wrote school counselor Jennifer Cheff in recommending Ulutoa for the award. “She exemplifies the best of the best.”

She was also nominated by science teacher Chris Briske, who describes her as “a team player in the classroom” who “is able to have a very noticeable and positive influence on others she is working with.”

Leina was born in Ohio to Sika and Rita Ulutoa. Her family moved to Montana when she was very young to start a ministry on the Flathead Reservation called Tribal Waves, influenced by her father’s Samoan heritage and Christian faith. Her father is also pastor of Lighthouse Christian Fellowship in Ronan.

“I really love it here,” Leina says. “I feel like it’s been a great starting place for me – especially coming from a multicultural background and relating to all these other people who have different cultures and ethnicities and being able to express that freely – especially in my school.”

Ulutoa practices hula and continues to pass on the tradition to young girls in her community. The ancient dance form, rooted in Polynesian cultures, “is a part of who I am – it’s my way of worship and expression,” she says.

Perhaps this sinuous dance form also contributes to her strength and agility as an athlete. Leina began playing volleyball at a young age, inspired by her older sister, Tiana. “My sister was always doing sports and I wanted to be just like her,” she says.

Plus, her dad, a native of Samoa who was educated in Japan and played rugby there before moving to the U.S., is also a fan. When she showed both passion and potential in volleyball, he encouraged her to join a club in Missoula, which required additional travel for practice and games. But the commitment paid off.

She earned a spot on the varsity team as a freshman, was named to second team All Conference as a sophomore and junior and finished her career last fall as All Conference setter and hitter, and was selected for an All Star Mission Valley game.

The team started its season struggling, having lost all of its senior players, and Ulutoa’s positive attitude kicked in: “We didn’t have the skill set we used to, but it doesn’t mean we don’t have the work ethic,” she says.

The team, which barely made it to Divisionals, shook up its rotations and managed to best two of its season rivals, Whitefish and Columbia Falls, for a berth at State. “I’m just so proud of our team and our coaches who worked so hard to get us to blend together,” she says.

Then, a quick pivot to basketball – admittedly not her favorite sport, but still, a way to stay in shape during the winter. This year, however, as a senior, “I’ve really developed, stepped out of my comfort zone in a lot of basketball moves and had my highest scoring games” with at least two in the 20-plus range.

The team’s rapport was also enhanced by their trip to Alaska in January to play in the Alaska Airlines Classic.

“The whole thing was amazing,” says Ulutoa. “What high school team gets to travel to Alaska? Most don’t even get to go out of state.”

“And I have to say the most memorable part was not the games,” she adds. “Since we came back our team is so much more bonded together.”

Although basketball ended for the Maidens this weekend at the Divisional Tournament in Ronan, the track season is right around the corner. As a sophomore Ulutoa placed fifth at the state meet in triple jump. Plus, she’s thinking about adding tennis to her schedule.

“What sports really gave me was a drive and a passion for team success,” she says.

While her high school accomplishments could have been parlayed into athletic scholarships, Ulutoa has decided instead to continue her academic pursuits at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana – considered one of the top universities in the U.S.

She plans to pursue a law degree but hasn’t decided yet on her undergraduate focus. Political science and anthropology are two considerations, although “I also have a side passion for English and poetry,” she says.

Her interest in law was piqued last summer, when she attended Girls State in Helena, and was one of two participants selected to represent Montana as “senators” at Girls Nation in Washington, D.C. “That really changed my life,” she says. “It gave me a lot of the confidence I needed to pursue life after high school.”

In the nation’s capital, Ulutoa and the other Montana representative had to write a bill to present during the gathering. Together, they authored legislation that would provide incentives to teach second languages in elementary schools. Ulutoa says the bill was designed to help Indian tribes preserve their languages.

“When your language dies your culture is definitely at risk,” she says. “We wanted to focus on restoring the heart of tradition.”

“It was a really good chance to understand how the process works,” she adds. “If you want to make change, how does change happen?”

Spending time with peers who are “really passionate about what they’re doing” inspired her to apply to Notre Dame “and pursue a bigger picture.” She’s headed back to D.C. this summer to serve as a counselor for this year’s crop of representatives.

She credits her experience in the Business Professionals of America (BPA) club, and the club’s advisor, Heather Gray, with helping her understand and implement skills in extemporaneous speaking, business and parliamentary procedures – tools that she’s deployed in her various leadership roles. The BPA team placed third last year at state, and Ulutoa is hopeful they can earn first or second this year, and a trip to the national contest in California.

In fact, BPA has been such an inspiration that she plans to give the $250 that comes with the Winslow Nichols award to the school club to fuel its efforts to raise funds for Special Olympics.

Ulutoa – who is on track to become valedictorian – plans to end the year strong. The student council “has really stepped it up,” with more pep assemblies, planning for the prom, and student surveys.

“My goal is to be more open to the students, like ‘hey, you have a future after high school,” she says. “It’s not just high school sports – you can do so much.”

She plans to carry her love for the Flathead Reservation, and respect for its people, with her to Notre Dame, and inspire students to follow in her footsteps.

“These big places are not just for certain people. These are for everyone,” she says. “You really can do this, no matter where you’re from.”