Staff Member

Samoana Matagi

Online Programs Manager

Samoana Matagi is a burn survivor of 14 years. Before his burn accident he studied broadcast journalism at Utah State University. He was nominated outstanding senior in. broadcast journalism. Sam, short for Samoana, graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Portuguese. He then worked a couple years at the local news stations as a video editor. The year 2007 brought a change in career for Sam as he was accepted into the Mountain States Line Construction Apprenticeship Training program. Three years and after nearly finishing his apprenticeship, Sam suffered fourth degree burns from 14,400 volts of electricity which eventually lead to the loss of his hands. After that traumatic injury he reinvented himself yet again. He became a YouTuber sharing his techniques for using his prosthetic hands. This lead to an expansion of his resume to include public speaker. His story is one of resilience and the ability to adapt to change.