Meet the Officers
Presidents
Nathan Malaiba
c/o 2024
Samantha Ramones
c/o 2025
Why poly: Growing up, I had multiple cousins who each joined poly during their time at Ayala. Throughout multiple years, I sat in the gym bleachers and watched as such a consistently large and connected club presented such lively and fun performances. I'll always remember the packed crowd lining up to enter the gym, searching for my cousins among such a large group of performers, and how intimidated I was when the boys performed haka. My family would always ask me if I would do poly when I reached high school. For the majority of my lifetime I was set on the fact that I would not join because it seemed too intimidating for me. I was too scared to perform in front of large crowds or take off my shirt. After distance learning my freshmen year, however, I took a trip to Hawaii during the summer and came to deeply admire Polynesian culture and could finally imagine myself immersing myself in it as my cousins had before me. During club rush of my sophomore year, I finally gained the courage to join the club and give it a chance. Ever since, I could not be more grateful for the way the club has allowed me to leave my comfort zone and provide me with an ohana on campus.
Two things I like to do: watch baseball + go to the movies
Instagram: @smartship00000
Email: nmalaiba@gmail.com
Why poly: During my freshman year in high school, I was lost and had no idea what I wanted to do in high school (as for many other students in my grade). Sports didn't interest me, nor did being in USB, so I joined numerous clubs. Many clubs caught my attention during club rush, but the one club that I knew I wanted to join even before attending high school was Poly Club. I was introduced to this club in 2017 when I attended my brother's first luau. I was immediately captivated by the dances I saw that night; I knew that this was something I wanted to try. After the show was over, I asked my parents if I could take hula dance classes. For about a year and a half, I danced at a halau, where I made connections and learned how to dance hula. I took a break from dancing in 2018 and focused on school instead. The next opportunity I had to start dancing again was last school year when I joined Poly :) Not only was I able to rekindle my passion for dancing, but I also made new friends that treated me like family. Now, I am the co-president of this club, and I couldn't be more grateful to have joined the ohana.
Two things I like to do: watering my plants + drinking coffee
Instagram: @ssamm_r
Email: sdramones909@gmail.com
Public Relations
Historian
Vice President
Secretary/UCC Rep
Treasurer
Jayla Parulan
c/o 2024
Why poly: I joined poly because I love all sorts of dancing! I am also on the Ayala dance team and I took a hula class before. I saw a club that was similar to the dance studio at our school, so I took the opportunity to go out of my comfort zone and learn more about the different types of dancing styles. It's been one of the best decisions of my life. I got to meet so many amazing people through this club!
Two things I like to do: dancing + spending money
Instagram: @jay.kp__
Email: jaylakp12@yahoo.com
Makaelah Tamez
c/o 2025
Why poly: When I was younger, I loved to dance especially ballet. I never knew about Polynesian dancing until my aunt from Hawaii introduced me to it. I loved everything about it and I was surprised that it wasn’t really talked about. During the summer of 2017, I had signed up for a Polynesian classes that were in my city and at first I was super nervous but it was a lot fun. It was my first time and I looked back at videos and I was just having fun whole enjoyed every class. Even though the classes had people that were a lot older then me, they were super nice and always helped with certain moves. When I had my first performance, I was so nervous because it was my first ever performance on stage. Luckily, I had a blast and I would want to do it again. When I came to highschool, I didn’t know if I would ever find a Polynesian club but by chance I did. Everyone was super lovely and I had a great time hangout with everyone during practices and luau. Being apart of this club is truly a honor.
Two things I like to do: drawing + sports
Instagram: none
Email: makaelahtamez@gmail.com
Ronnie Aure
c/o 2024
Why poly: I joined this club after being encouraged by my older cousin. But what really made me stay is the connections I’ve made with people I look up to highly. Each and every one of them were supportive and bright towards me, in which I’ve felt very comfortable around them. It was a small group but I was glad enough to call them a family.
Two things I like to do: poetry + downloading kirby pictures
Instagram: @rawknee_aure
Email: ronnieaure2007@gmail.com
Vian Valenzuela
c/o 2024
Why poly: At first, I thought Poly was just a club solely for the purpose of dancing but once I actually got more and more into the club, I started to fall in love with it. The more practices we had, the more times I was able to get the chance to bond with all the guys I was able to practice choreography with. Not only with just the guys, but also with a couple of dance partners where we both had slipped up a couple of times which we had a good laugh about. This club has let me experience things that I would never have found in any other club and it has most definitely made my time in this club worth while.
Two things I like to do: sing + play video games
Instagram: @viondesuu
Email: vianval127@gmail.com
Brandon Jimenez
c/o 2024
Why poly: Ever since I saw the Polynesian club perform at eighth grade orientation I knew I wanted to join. Although it was a challenge overcoming social anxieties and opening up to the amazing people in this club, it was all worth it because of the experiences and memories I've made. In the beginning I didn't think I would last long in this club but I'm glad I stuck with it because it really helped me socially. The pros of joining really outweigh the very little cons.
Two things I like to do: listening to music + going to the beach
Instagram: @bcj72906
Email: bjimenez72906@gmail.com
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