Akimano "Tauriki" Numanga Kalama graduated from BYU–Hawaii in December 1988 with a degree in accounting. Born and raised in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, she boarded a plane to Tahiti at seven and never stopped taking leaps. Now the Chief Financial Officer of the Polynesian Cultural Center, Kalama's story is one of courage, grit, and faith.
The Girl Who Wanted to Fly
Kalama was born and raised in Titikaveka, a small village on the island of Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands. When she was seven years old, a visiting family from Tahiti offered to take one of the children home with them—a Polynesian custom of extended family "adoption." Her mother, who had just given birth to Kalama's baby brother, politely declined to part with her newborn son. But young Kalama jumped at the opportunity.
"I said, 'Oh, I'll go, I'll go,' because I wanted to go on a big plane," she recalls with a laugh.
Landing in a brand-new world was a shock.
"I cried myself to sleep for almost a month, and then I just had to suck it up and learn to adapt."
She spent four years in Tahiti, learning the culture of her maternal grandmother and attending a local church school called Ecole Primaire Elementaire S.D.J., a.k.a. Ecole Mormone, that has since closed. It is now the site of the Papeete Tahiti Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
At 11, she returned to the Cook Islands, finished high school in 1983 at 16, and headed to New Zealand to earn money for her next chapter: attending Brigham Young University–Hawaii.
A Leap Across the Pacific
Kalama had heard stories from her brother and aunt, who were attending BYU–Hawaii at the time, and she was sold. The university's faith-based environment made it an easy decision, even though most students from the Cook Islands typically studied in New Zealand instead.
Having her brother on campus made the transition easier, and her mother didn't hesitate to approve.
In August 1984 at 17 years old, Kalama landed on campus, in her own words, “a naïve little thing”, ready for whatever came next.
Her brother's friends took her under their wings and helped her land a job at the Polynesian Cultural Center.
Canoes, Clubs, and a Curriculum Curveball
For all four years at BYU–Hawaii, Kalama worked at the PCC, spending most of her time in the Night Show and Canoe Show, with a couple of summer stints in the villages. She also dove into campus life, joining the Cook Island Club, the Tahitian Club, and the Kiwi Club.
But the adjustment wasn't always easy.
"I was homesick a little bit," she admits. "But making new friends helped me settle in. Going to university, especially here in the US, is totally different from my schooling back in the Cooks," she says.
Originally set to graduate in June 1988, Kalama received an unexpected opportunity when BYU–Hawaii introduced a new Business Information Management curriculum.
"If you add one more semester and seven classes, you could graduate with an associate's degree as well," her advisor told her.
She said yes, and in December 1988, Kalama graduated with two credentials: a degree in accounting and an associate's degree in business information management, a field now known simply as IT.
When asked about her experience at BYUH, she said, "it was amazing, actually. I had a great time. I loved it."
Married Into a Life of Moving Boxes
Graduation was just the beginning of a much bigger journey. Kalama married a local boy from Laie, Frank Kumukoa Kalama IV, a week after graduation and set off on a life that would carry her across the globe. Frank's military career took the couple first to Oklahoma, their first duty station, where they lived for a year and a half while Kalama worked as an accountant in a bank.
Next came a posting to South Korea, meant to be a one-year hardship tour without her, until a freeze on military orders let married soldiers move off base.
"I was able to go to Korea for a year, and I taught English over there," she says.
The couple then returned to Hawaii, where Frank was stationed at Schofield Barracks, and welcomed two daughters, Hali’alani and Hinaraurii, born in 1992 and 1993. After time as a full-time mom, Kalama jumped back into the workforce as a controller at a computer store in Honolulu.
Today, the couple has four children, two of whom graduated from BYU-Hawaii alongside their spouses, continuing the family's connection to the university.
Banking on the BVI
When her husband returned to BYU–Hawaii to finish his degree, a visit home to the Cook Islands turned into an unexpected job offer for Kalama. She took on the role of trust accountant and, later, financial director at a Cook Islands trust company.
"It was an opportunity to contribute back to my little island what I learned here at BYUH," she says.
Three years in and after another baby girl Tepori-A-Pa, a new door opened at the company's British Virgin Islands (BVI) office in the Caribbean. What was supposed to be a quick two- or three-year stint extended into a whole new phase of life.
"We ended up staying for 14 years," she says. "We raised our children there."
The couple's youngest child, Frank Kumukoa Kalama V, was born in the British Virgin Islands, where Kalama eventually rose to manage the entire office as the managing and financial director. The family finally returned home to Hawaii for good at the end of 2013. After a year off, Kalama joined PCC as a senior accountant in January 2015.
Test of Faith, Test of Will
One accomplishment stands out above the rest: passing all four parts of the CPA exam on her very first attempt. The Certified Public Accountant credential is one of the most respected in the accounting field, requiring candidates to clear a demanding four-part exam covering auditing, financial reporting, business concepts, and regulation.
Kalama took it on after returning to work following her daughters' births, inspired by a boss who had just accomplished the same feat.
"She gave me some time off during the week to go and study," Kalama says. "I signed up for the Becker Review course and basically crammed four years of college into four months."
She even sent her young children to stay with her parents in the Cook Islands so she could fully focus, on the exam, reuniting with them the moment it was done.
"The passing rate at that time for all 4 parts of the CPA exam was really low, about 16% in 1994," she says. " It was one of the hardest things she had ever done, but I'm grateful I was able to achieve that. It was challenging, and it made me realize I can do hard things."
Accounting for Every Step
Kalama climbed from senior accountant to Assistant Controller in 2017, and this year reached the top of her field as Chief Financial Officer, stepping into the role after the previous CFO moved up to CEO and the new PCC president.
Even now, it feels surreal to her.
"If you had told me when I was a 17-year-old student that one day I’d be a CFO at PCC, I would not have believed you," she says. "You're crazy."
She credits her BYU–Hawaii education with setting her up for it all.
"The analytical skills I learned from my accounting and IT classes have definitely contributed to my career," she says. "It kind of just built up. My past experiences, my schooling, culminated in what I'm doing now."
"I'm grateful I'm able to contribute back to an institution that helped me when I was here as a student," she adds.
The Sport That Makes Sense of Everything
Kalama picked up a pickleball paddle a few years ago as a way to stay active and spend time with friends, and she's played regularly ever since.
"Pickleball is a lot like life," she said. "You can’t control every bounce. You don’t win every point, and don’t always get the perfect shot. What counts is how you respond."
She continued, "Some shots call for playing it safe. Others are worth the risk. And when a rally gets away from you, you reset and start over."
Looking back, Kalama sees her biggest decisions played out like points on the court. Her leap to Tahiti was a serve into the unknown. By coming to BYU–Hawaii, she was stepping onto the court with confidence even through the fear of the unknown. The CPA exam was a long rally that demanded patience and grit. And her rise at PCC came from knowing which shot to take, and when.
For Kalama, every game is a small reminder of how far she's come, and how the next point is always worth playing.
Plan Early, Show Up Fully
Kalama resonates deeply with students because she lived the same life many of them are living now: far from home, balancing work and school, missing family, trying to figure out the future and learning to trust in the Lord.
Kalama points to one simple habit that set her up for success: a planning session with her advisor in her very first semester.
"I would tell [students] to do exactly what I did," she said. "Plan out your time from the get-go and stick to the plan. Get involved with whatever the school has to offer — the activities, the clubs; those are fun things. Work at PCC, get the experience."
Balancing work and school was tough, she admits.
"There are many opportunities out there. Sometimes you'll find it, sometimes it'll find you,” she said. “Challenges will come along the way, but with the Lord's help, they'll be able to overcome them. Go out there, go for it. Find those opportunities and show them who you are."
She also encourages new graduates to embrace every season, including time spent raising a family, something she did herself after a few early part-time jobs.
"Don't forget those responsibilities as well," she says.
From a small village in Rarotonga to the CFO's office at PCC, Kalama's journey shows just how far a plane ticket, a little grit, and a lot of faith can take you.