Chesser Matauaiga Arapata Cowan graduated from BYU–Hawaii in 2021 with a degree in intercultural peacebuilding. Born and raised in Bridge Pa on the North Island of Aotearoa, he now shares his culture everywhere from Disney’s Moana, where he performed alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, to classrooms back home. Cowan’s story is one of heritage, healing, and humility.
Carrying a Family Dream
When Cowan’s uncle, a former Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) dancer, was unable to attend its 50th celebration, a small group of BYUH alumni came to honor him. Watching them gather in that farmland stake center showed Cowan how BYU–Hawaii could bring people together.
As he learned more about the university, he felt a connection grow.
“It’s very intimate. The classes are not as big,” Cowan said. “You get to make connections from a whole range of diversities and obviously get to represent [your] culture.”
He carried the hope of studying at BYU–Hawaii with him during his service in the Philippines Manila Mission from 2014 to 2016.
After his mission, his aunt invited him to join her Māori dance company. Dancing kept him close to his culture, but his mom had bigger plans. She and Cowan’s grandmother never had the chance to study in Hawaii, so she urged her son to go.
“They’re living their dreams through me,” Cowan said.
A Stage for Growth
Cowan arrived in Laie engaged to his wife, Lasi Cowan, and they married after his first semester.
He worked as a demonstration guide in the PCC’s Aotearoa Village, then as a tour guide. From late 2020 to 2022, he performed in Hā: Breath of Life, which pushed him out of his comfort zone as he learned the dances of other islands. The stage taught him a lesson he carried far beyond it.
“It taught me that life’s a whole show,” Cowan said. “The show must go on. You don’t have much, but Heavenly Father will multiply it. You can still be sad and do the job, but that joy will overwhelmingly make up the difference.”
That faith shaped how he saw his time at BYU–Hawaii.
“You can go to any other university in the world and probably get a good education,” Cowan said. “But to be able to expand your spiritual knowledge and be in such a place of safety — that’s a win-win situation.”
Learning to Love Through the Hard Things
During his time at BYUH, Cowan struggled in his relationship with his father. Tensions were high, and decisions made by his father weighed on him.
“I had to learn from observation. [Was] that someone I want to be,” he said.
Cowan grappled with the idea of how he could love his father without ignoring the harm he caused or repeating his same mistakes. Finding that balance would take years — he had to start with himself.
“If you don’t talk to yourself nicely, then it’s going to project onto others,” Cowan reflected. “You find things that you’re struggling with in others, but you haven’t managed that yourself.”
Through classes from his major, intercultural peacebuilding, he learned to rebuild his relationship with his father. Cowad said his major “saved [his] life in a sense,” and helped him recognize that beneath the tension, the two wanted the same thing.
“All he wanted to hear from me was that I loved him, and I wanted to know if he was proud of me,” Cowan said.
When his father was tragically killed in 2022, Cowan decided to honor him by becoming the man his father once encouraged him to be.
“Although he wasn’t a perfect man, I could redeem myself in the way that I hold myself and the success I carry,” Cowan said. “So I bring him with me, and I know he’ll always be proud of my achievements.”
Cowan has learned to reflect without regret.
“Looking back is not bad. It’s just knowing where you’ve come from, and that’s the most humbling part,” he said. “We’re our biggest judges. We don’t even look back. That’s the biggest mountain you climbed, and you’re still climbing one.”
Keeping Culture in Frame
Graduation brought a new fear. Like many students, Cowan anxiously wondered what was next.
“In those moments, you trust in that same power that brought you here,” he said. “I know people my age who are financially set for life, but I wouldn’t know what goes on behind closed doors. For me, it’s knowing that I’m doing my part, [by] keeping my covenants. That’s the biggest part.”
Cowan believed his God-given talents would be “a foot in the door” — and they were. He auditioned for Disney’s live-action Moana in 2024 and was cast as a background dancer. Earlier this year, he flew to Los Angeles to work with Tiana Nonosina Liufau and Kayla Fa’amaligi, sister figures and executive producers.
Doors continued to open, and he credits his reliability for it. Cowan has since performed alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, helped curate a featured track inspired by the live-action film, “Voices Across the Ocean,” and joined promotions for Moana 2, including its Oʻahu premiere, and the live-action premiere in Los Angeles.
“All we’re doing is just really putting on for the culture, not expecting anything great in return,” Cowan said.
“You get to see the other side of the glitz and the glamour, but it really is just bringing families together of all diversities.”
For Cowan, the work is about representation. He travels on special assignments to help make sure Pacific stories are told correctly.
“A story worth sharing is a story worth believing,” he said.
He brings that same purpose home, tutoring young people in the community, in high schools, at the university, and in cultural groups.
“I don’t teach what I don’t know. I only teach what I stand on,” Cowan said. “Member or not, they all feel His Spirit, not mine.”
Learning to Be a Disciple
Cowan calls BYU–Hawaii “disciple school.” To him, discipleship is a process of being refined.
“Sometimes you’re Peter, you have great faith, and other times you need to be reprimanded. And that’s all part of the journey,” he said. “Like Peter, we have to be teachable.”
He hopes his story shows that faith doesn’t depend on where you come from.
“You don’t have to come from a flourishing background of Latter-day Saint members to know what’s wrong and what’s right,” Cowan said. “You can live your life without God and think it’s you, or you can live your life with God and know that it was all Him. Heavenly Father’s always mindful, and He’s just waiting to bless us.”
