about piced
PICED is dedicated to helping young Samoans and Pacific Islanders make it not only to college but to succeed in life. PICED’s core mission rests on the bedrock principles of academic strength and self-empowerment. PICED strives to provide the necessary intellectual nurturing and emotional resolve that students need to realize their full potential.
PICED seeks to be a leader in educational empowerment of Pacific Island students by utilizing and implementing programs for students in grades 8-12 through traditional organizations and community-based outreach methods.
mission statement
The Pacific Island Center for Educational Development (PICED) mission is to provide emotional nurturing and academic preparation to persons in underserved communities with emphasis on Samoan and Pacific Island ancestry so they can realize their full potential.
By investing in education programs for youth and the general community, PICED also seeks to improve the future economic stability of American Samoa by helping to build an educated workforce.
PICED is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit education resource center established in 2001 charged with the mission to increase the number of Samoans that enter college. In pursuit of this mission, PICED provides enrichment programs to empower elementary and high school students with the academic and leadership skills to build their self-confidence to pursue a college education. Through leadership and self-empowerment training courses, PICED seeks to instill within its students the life-skills to maintain a 100% retention rate once enrolled in college.
PICED specializes in providing preparatory courses in national standardized college entrance examinations (SAT, TOEFL, ACT) and comprehensive college admissions and financial aid technical assistance to students and parents. Further, PICED strongly supports the mission of the two-year American Samoa Community College (ASCC). Through PICED’s after-school enrichment program, it seeks to help prepare high school students, in English and Mathematics, to enter the community college. PICED is available as a supportive resource to help prepare those students that wish to enter an off-island college directly from high-school or that transfer to a four-year college from the community college.
