Malupo to retire after keeping BYUH clean for more than a decade

       Sam Malupo will be retiring from BYU-Hawaii after working on campus for 11 years. He is currently a supervisor of custodians. Students might see him sometimes around the McKay building, the Health Center or the School of Education. 
 

Malupo said he arrived in Hawaii from Tonga in 1979. He came to BYUH for schooling but found out he could not afford the tuition. He decided to work instead. Malupo was as a custodian for LDS Churches on the mainland for many years. He came to work at BYUH after the church began having ward members clean churches instead of paid custodians. Since coming to work at the university, the 62-year-old Malupo had been awarded the student employee Teacher of the Year and also been named an Employee of the Year.

Although working as the supervisor, Malupo said he does not stay only in the office. “I clean with my students as a group,” Malupo said. “When students work with their boss, they do their best.” 

“Some people look down on custodians,” Malupo shared. “[They think] it is just a daily job and we just clean the bathroom. But they don’t understand. Cleaning is an important thing. When the building is clean, then people can use it happily.” He urged people not to take the clean environment for granted but be said they should grateful when using the building. 

Malupo said he loves the fact that his job and community are closely related to the LDS church. “I like it [my job] because it is a church school. My wife also works here. She works in the Food Service. She cooks food.” He continued, “Laie to me means a lot of things. I love Laie because most people are members. And my house is so close to campus. I can go to work on a bike. Also I love living so close to the temple too.”

Malupo has been a LDS member for almost 40 years. He said he often asks his students, “If the savior comes today, are you ready to follow him?” He said he wants to inspired students to follow the right person to the right place. “The school might not know what I did, but I do it because I see this is the way I share my testimony to others,” said Malupo. 

Scripture reading everyday is his key in facing struggles in life, said Malupo. He holds 10 minutes scripture meeting with his student before work everyday. Every student is invited to bring a scripture to share in the meeting. “When we share scriptures, we share a spiritual time. I know some kids who come to BYUH are converts. I want to help them with their spiritual lives. I see a lot of changes in them. Every semester, I have student employees that get called on missions.”

After finishing the job in BYUH, Malupo said he plans to visit his children in Utah and his family in Tonga. He said he is also excited to spend some time and work on his farm. “I am going to work there everyday. I have sweet potato, taro, tapioca, and banana.”

His last advice for students is to obey the Honor Code. He said, “I hope students can be more alert about the Honor Code. Sometimes students take advantage of the policy. They no longer care the rules. Students need to understand they signed the promise of the Honor Code, but once they come over here, they forget about it,” said Malupo.  

Rickey Liu, an ICS senior from China, said, “I work with Sam and he is a nice guy. He always encourages us to seek higher education. He knows we are far from home, so he always takes great care of us. He is like our family.”

Aaron Zakimi, an ICS sophomore from Hawaii, said he appreciates it when the classrooms are clean. “A clean classroom invites the spirit. It always makes me happy to step into a clean classroom.”