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Another Tragedy for Local Teen

Another teenager from our community, Ophylia Mona Lisa Afuha'amango, committed suicide this week. She was friends of Seema Singh and Maikeli Iongi who both died tragically last month. A local young leader put it into descripttive words this week when he said, "Our community is on fire." Most especially, the Pacific Islander community has gone through many trials. Please continue to pray for the youth in East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park. While there are less gunshots and homicides right now, kids are still dying.

This is the second suicide of a young person, both hangings, in the last two weeks.

The Palo Alto Daily News reports:
Students Mourn Classmate
At the start of her sophomore year at Menlo-Atherton High School, Ophylia Mona Lisa Afuha'amango wrote a letter to one of her teachers.

"Something that I'd like you to know is that I'm striving to get back into AS English next year and hopefully AP Lit my senior year. ... I'm excited for this year!" she wrote.

On Friday, hundreds of students and community members packed the high school auditorium to commemorate the life of Afuha'amango, who San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said committed suicide on Tuesday.

In her junior year, Afuha'amango was affectionately known as "Mona Lisa Smile" and "Monster Baby" to her friends and family. The 16-year-old resident of east Menlo Park had been a leader in her school's Polynesian Club, played on the soccer team and was hoping to attend UCLA or Brigham Young University after graduation.

"She would check on me every five minutes to see if I was hungry," said her older sister Laynah at the service. "We always talked about graduating, walking that stage together."

Steve Teu, a mentor to the school's Polynesian Club, said Afuha'amango, who was of Tongan descent, was an energetic and popular student well known to the area's Polynesian community. She had known both Maikeli Iongi and Seema Singh, both teenagers who died in East Palo Alto shootings earlier this year.

Comments

  1. Anonymous6:17 PM

    This is really sad i actually thought that this gurl was from new zealand but not even that is sad to hear that she committed suicide why she would do it is a question that her family would never be able to get answered i'm very sorry to the fanau that have lost there child and the friends and family my heart is with you all....

    God bless

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous2:21 AM

    thats tonganz 4yA!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous12:01 PM

    Heaven just got sent an angel
    RIP Monster you will be missed by many
    May God keep you protected in his arms
    and say hi to some of the Angels for me. Love you and Rest In Paradise.
    Godbless her soul and Godbless her family
    Gone But Never Will Be Forgotten<3

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous3:43 PM

    R.I.P to you. Don't know you but a cousin of Reggie and Sabrina, just want to let you know to rest in peace and watch over loved ones of yours and family and friends of yours! ly >33 .

    ReplyDelete

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