Moana Montez Fatani Kupu, a fourth-generation member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Tonga, graduated from BYU–Hawaii in 1998 with a degree in Accounting and Business Education. She now serves as the HR manager and board member for Lulutai Airlines, Tonga’s national carrier, and as president of the BYU–Hawaii Alumni Chapter in Tonga. Her enduring life of faith and service reflects the values she embraced during her time at BYU–Hawaii.
A Dream Planted by Sacrifice
Kupu’s connection to BYU–Hawaii began before she was born. After her parents, Tevita Lupeituu Fatani and Lolo Olive Langi Fatani, married in November 1960, they traveled to Laie and her father served as a labor missionary to help build BYU–Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center. They later returned to Tonga, bringing home a treasured book about their time in Laie that Kupu’s family still holds dear. “That was my first introduction to BYU–Hawaii,” she recalled. “My parents always talked about the university and dreamed that one day their children would attend.”
That dream wasn’t easy to reach. Kupu is the seventh of nine children, and her family lived a life of struggle and scarcity. “One meal a day was all my parents could afford,” she said. “But they made sure I got an education.” She vividly remembers a turning point in high school: “I realized I wasn’t going to get out of this life unless I did something. So, I focused on my studies and passed my university entrance exam, which opened the door to BYU–Hawaii,” she explained.
Out of all nine children, Kupu was the only one who was able to fulfill her parents’ long-held dream of obtaining higher education.
Learning and Becoming
Arriving in Hawaii was both exhilarating and overwhelming. “It was a whole new world for me,” Kupu shared. “The freedom and the culture shock were all so new. However, BYU–Hawaii taught me how to stand on my own.”
With limited financial support from home and as a recipient of the IWORK scholarship, Kupu developed the discipline to budget her modest earnings, balance the demands of work, church callings, and academic responsibilities, and draw strength from her faith. She danced and worked as a tour guide at the Polynesian Cultural Center, then later became an accounting assistant at BYU–Hawaii’s Student Activities. “That was my first time earning money, and it meant so much to me,” she said. “It taught me self-reliance.”
Her time at the university also deepened her testimony. “My mom planted the seed of faith, but BYU–Hawaii nourished it,” she said. “I learned not to study on Sundays, how to pay a full tithe, and how to take my callings seriously, even if it was just as a greeter in Relief Society.”
She made some of her most important life decisions on campus, including the choice to serve a mission. Kupu served in the Tonga Nukualofa Mission from 1994 to 1996. “It wasn’t easy because I wanted to finish school and help my family. But one day I knelt in prayer, and I felt a strong impression to serve. That changed everything.”
A Legacy of Leadership and Learning
After graduating and returning home, she married Inoke Fotu Kupu, a BYU–Hawaii alumnus and widower with three children. Together, they raised a family of six—three daughters and a son of their own. All three daughters later graduated from BYU–Hawaii, fulfilling a multi-generational dream.
Kupu spent 24 years as an educator at Liahona High School, serving as a business teacher, department head, and counselor. Her husband worked in various leadership positions for 20 years, then he moved to work for the government for two years, until their call to be mission leaders in the Zambia Lusaka mission from 2016 to 2019.
When they returned home from their mission, Kupu got back to work serving in Tonga. She serves as a stake self-reliance specialist, challenging widows and single mothers to pursue education. “There are young women here who’ve lost their husbands. I encourage them to go back to school because education changes everything.”
In 2022, Kupu lost her beloved Inoke, who was serving as an Area Seventy from Tonga. He left behind a legacy of compassion, faith, and devoted service, having helped the Kingdom of Tonga through COVID-19 response efforts as well as the Church’s response to the 2022 volcanic eruption and tsunami. “Losing him was the hardest thing,” Kupu shared. “But I felt prepared. BYU–Hawaii had taught me how to be self-reliant.”
In April 2023, Kupu began serving as the HR manager for Tonga’s national airline, where she supports employees and serves with empathy. “It’s not just about helping staff and customers; it’s about lifting our people. BYU–Hawaii taught me how to serve with love.”
Bringing Alumni Together
As president of the BYU–Hawaii Tonga Alumni Chapter, Kupu continues to bring people together. In March 2025, she and her committee organized an event to celebrate BYU–Hawaii’s 70th anniversary. Over 500 people attended, complete with a boat, cultural performances, and a fireside honoring senior alumni. “No one wanted to get off the boat,” she laughed. “The event reminded us that we’re still family.”
She hopes to strengthen connections between current students, returning graduates, and alumni throughout the islands. “We’re just getting started because ultimately, we want to help returning students find jobs and build their futures,” she said.
“At BYU–Hawaii, you eat service, breathe service, and speak service. It becomes part of you. So, when you go forth, you don’t need to learn how to serve—you already live it.”
Her advice to current students is simple and heartfelt: “Don’t take this opportunity for granted. Learn everything you can. Serve while you’re on campus. Trust in the Lord and never forget your roots. That’s what will carry you to the finish line.”
