In this episode of Humans of Iowa State, Lilly Taulelei, a sophomore studying marketing and a women’s basketball player, shared her experiences playing basketball all around the globe while staying devoted to her family and her education.
“I was born in the United States, and then my parents moved me home when I was one and a half,” Taulelei said. “My dad is Samoan, and my mom is Māori, so those are both Polynesian.”
Taulelei’s story revolves around her Polynesian cultural identity. Being from New Zealand, the importance of family was instilled in her from a young age. During her story, Taulelei shared how the death of a loved one impacted her ability to play basketball overseas and how she continued to show love for her family while she was on the court.
“Family is a very big thing for us,” Taulelei said. “It was very important to them that I grow up with both of my grandparents, all of my cousins, aunties, uncles, all of those things. I’m very grateful for the way I was brought up. I think my parents are two very amazing, ambitious people, and I think that they definitely shaped me to be the way that I am today.”
Growing up, Taulelei played quite a few sports, one of which was netball. Netball is a game similar to basketball in the sense that two teams fight against each other to throw a ball into a hoop at the end of a rectangular court. However, netball also has its differences. This game taught Taulelei from a young age how to be accurate on the court due to the smaller size of the hoop required to play netball.
“I’m at Iowa State because I play basketball,” Taulelei said. “I’m on the women’s basketball team. I only started really committing to basketball when I was about 13. Before that, I played netball, which is not very common over here.”
Before her games, Taulelei is known for listening to Samoan choir music and traditional Polynesian songs. Throughout her season at Iowa State, she has also honored her late grandfather by writing his name on her shoes, along with his favorite number.
“I think that my life story mostly comes down to my cultural identity,” Taulelei said. “I think that’s my favorite part of myself, understanding who I am based on my culture and my family and their values and how they’ve brought me up. Being Polynesian is probably the biggest part that I love about myself.”
For a chance to be the next Human of Iowa State, apply using this link.
