A daughter of Samoa has taken her father’s village of Tufutafoe, Savai’i to new heights after being promoted to the rank of Chief Master Sergeant in the United States’ Air Force. 

From Florida, U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Jacinta Migo, 40, shared some advice with the Samoa Observer for women seeking to rise to such heights in their own careers.

“Be the expert in your trade,” C.M.S. Migo said, whose rank is only attained by about one per cent of those enlisted in the Air Force according to official statistics. 

Born and raised in Nuuuli, American Samoa, she is the daughter of Faatamalii and Maiava Leo. 

Her father is from Tufutafoe, Savai’i and her mother is from Nuuuli.

C.M.S. Migo, a mother of three children, is only the second woman of Samoan ancestry and the first native of American Samoa to achieve the rank.

“Be faithful in the little tasks that you do, regardless of what it is, and you will be rewarded and trusted with more,” she said in response to questions from the Samoa Observer.

“Be confident in your abilities and skills and don’t be afraid to sit at the table. You deserve to be there just as much as anyone else sitting there. Never forget where you came from and help others along the way.”

C.M.S. Migo graduated as valedictorian from the Catholic Faasao Marist High School in American Samoa. She enlisted in the Air Force in 1998 and has served in the U.S. military for 22 years.

She currently serves as the superintendent of the 505th Test and Training Group at Hurlburt Field, Florida, according to American military information. 

Migo is the principal advisor to the group command on all enlisted matters. She informs the commander on issues affecting the health, morale, welfare, training and the proper utilisation of over 500 personnel assigned across four squadrons, three detachments and six operating locations.

The chief master sergeant’s parents are devout Catholics. God plays a huge role in her life and she says she seeks His guidance in everything she does.

“My parents were devout Catholics when I was growing up and still are to this day. We went to aoga Aso Sa almost every day and to church on every Sunday. God has always been the center of our lives growing up,” C.M.S. Migo said.

“When I left for the military, God still played a role in my life but not as much as it did when I was back home. I know that during the times God was absent in my life, I know my parents continuously kept us in their prayers,” she said.

“I would say in the last 10 plus years, I have tried to make God the center of my life again. So to answer your question, God plays a huge role in my life and I try to seek His guidance in everything I do.”

Her family and colleagues watched live and via streaming video as she joined an elite group of senior Air Force officers, the 505th Command and Control reported on its website.