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Photo by: Jon Yetter
Family, faith, football: Satele and Malau’ulu reflect on culture during AAPI month
5/1/2026 12:30:00 PM | Football
FRESNO, Calif. - May is National Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, and two Fresno State football teammates reflect together on their culture and family ties. Defensive lineman Jairus Satele and wide receiver Jordan Malau'ulu reunited as teammates ahead of the 2024 season, not only growing up as teammates but as cousins.
Malau'ulu is Samoan, Honduran and Palestinian. Satele is fully Samoan. The two are related through Malau'ulu's mother and Satele's father.
"I would like to share that our culture is beautiful," said Satele. "We come from a small dot on the map. For us to show that we are talented in whatever area we decide to thrive in, it is exciting to see us jump out of the box. Growing up, Samoans were really only known for being football players, but now you look, and we are doing things like dance, track and field, softball and volleyball."
Both come from the Los Angeles County areas, with Satele a native of Carson, Calif., and Malau'ulu growing up in Long Beach, Calif.
Los Angeles County, specifically the Carson area, has one of the largest Samoan populations in the United States, creating a vibrant, close-knit community felt by many, including Satele and Malau'ulu growing up.
Malau'ulu's grandmother led the local Samoan Sunday School through the United Samoan Church in Carson. There, Satele and Malau'ulu learned to feel connected with their culture and meet kids in the community.
"I love the family aspect," said Malau'ulu. "We have three big pillars in our culture, and that is faith, family and respect. We do that a lot. We give all the glories that we have to God, and always keep family close. Always respecting our elders. You could have 10 Polynesians in one room, and they could look like the biggest and scariest people, but they will be there and pray for you and respect you. They are the best people you could have around. I love my culture, and everything about it."
The two began high school together at St. John Bosco before Satele graduated and went off to San Jose State, and Malau'ulu transferred to Long Beach Poly for his final year of high school. One of their favorite memories together was having the chance to go to American Samoa. They got to experience the way of life first-hand.
"That experience of going back to American Samoa made us appreciate where we are at. A lot of kids out there don't have the opportunities or the resources like we do out here," said Satele.
It puts a lot of things into perspective. Satele notes that kids there played football barefoot, sharing equipment and some playing without equipment. The kids in American Samoa often use old, donated equipment from LA area high schools, including Long Beach Poly.
"We are blessed to be where our feet are," said Satele. "We are grateful for our culture, it is not just an identity, it is a way of life for us."
As the president of the AIGA Foundation, Malau'ulu's father hosts sports camps in American Samoa in an effort to expose different sports to children there and encourage young athletes to pursue sport at the next level. One softball camp in particular was scheduled for December 2023, when Malau'ulu was set to sign his National Letter of Intent to play at Fresno State.
He signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his football career from the hotel lobby in Pago Pago, American Samoa.
"We set up a booth in the hotel. It was sick to see the whole island come out to support me on that day," said Malau'ulu when he signed his NLI. "A bunch of kids came up to me and told me, 'That is so cool, I want to play football now,' and just seeing that, and inspiring them to go play football. I didn't grow up there, but I have been there, and the way they grow up, and just not having everything that we have here. Seeing them wanting to be able to play football, it drives me to push even further."
Football is special to Satele and Malau'ulu in unique ways. Their Fresno State ties began before they knew they would be Bulldogs themselves.
Satele's late father Fai Satele played football at Fresno State from 2000-03. He was recruited to be a Bulldog by former head coach Pat Hill, who is still around the program to see Jairus carry on the Satele legacy. After beginning his collegiate career at San Jose State, Jairus chose to attend Fresno State to continue his dad's legacy and to play in the same shoes as his dad. Fresno State is also where his parents first met, but he looks forward to being the first in his family to graduate from college, especially from Fresno State.
Malau'ulu also comes from a family of athletes, as his father George was a standout quarterback at the University of Arizona from 1989-92. He was the first collegiate Polynesian quarterback known to be ambidextrous. More Fresno State ties are in the Malau'ulu family, as Hill coached George at Arizona as the offensive coordinator. Also on that Wildcat staff was Bulldog special teams coordinator John Baxter.
Now together as Bulldogs, Satele and Malau'ulu have gone through this journey together. Malau'ulu was an early enrollee in January 2024, coming in at the same time as Satele. This helped make the transition into college a little easier, having an older, familiar face with him through the change.
"It was the biggest blessing having him here," said Malau'ulu on having Satele here to help him get up to speed in college. "When I got here, it was just me and another early enrollee freshman. I didn't have anybody else here in my class. Navigating school and navigating life with him here was great. He helped me move in. He took me grocery shopping. He took me to church and FCA. He was that older brother I needed to transition from high school to here. I couldn't say thank you enough. That was love."
Malau'ulu soaked in his first year, learning through a redshirt season in 2024.
"It taught me patience and that not everyone can shine at one time," said Malau'ulu on redshirting his freshman year. "I went in with my head on fire just trying to win a spot, but growing up one year into the system, it taught me to focus on my alignments and my assignments. It eased my mind and helped me play a lot faster the next year."
For Satele, he played in 10 games his first year as a Bulldog but missed the 2025 season with an Achilles injury. His time that he was sidelined put the game into perspective for him, and he strengthened his connection with his faith.
"That time to sit down, I got to be grateful for everything," said Satele. "The game can be taken away any second. Before I got injured, I was content. I wasn't working as hard. Like that, it got taken away. A lesson for me, it taught me to be humble. You always have to stay grounded, and there are always things to work on."
Satele got to watch as Malau'ulu had his first bit of action last fall, stepping into the punt return role and being in the mix as a wide receiver target.
Both Satele and Malau'ulu returned this spring and had productive spring seasons for the Bulldogs. Although on opposite sides of the ball, they both hold each other to the standards of the program. They never let each other be complacent.
Entering summer, both Bulldogs are excited for the year ahead and have a special appreciation for the Bulldogs' coaching and support staff, as well as enjoying the moment with their teammates and each other. Satele and Malau'ulu are both great representations of their families, their culture and the Bulldog football program. Support the Bulldogs this fall, and be a part of the excitement. Season ticket deposits are available now.
Malau'ulu is Samoan, Honduran and Palestinian. Satele is fully Samoan. The two are related through Malau'ulu's mother and Satele's father.
"I would like to share that our culture is beautiful," said Satele. "We come from a small dot on the map. For us to show that we are talented in whatever area we decide to thrive in, it is exciting to see us jump out of the box. Growing up, Samoans were really only known for being football players, but now you look, and we are doing things like dance, track and field, softball and volleyball."
Both come from the Los Angeles County areas, with Satele a native of Carson, Calif., and Malau'ulu growing up in Long Beach, Calif.
Los Angeles County, specifically the Carson area, has one of the largest Samoan populations in the United States, creating a vibrant, close-knit community felt by many, including Satele and Malau'ulu growing up.
Malau'ulu's grandmother led the local Samoan Sunday School through the United Samoan Church in Carson. There, Satele and Malau'ulu learned to feel connected with their culture and meet kids in the community.
"I love the family aspect," said Malau'ulu. "We have three big pillars in our culture, and that is faith, family and respect. We do that a lot. We give all the glories that we have to God, and always keep family close. Always respecting our elders. You could have 10 Polynesians in one room, and they could look like the biggest and scariest people, but they will be there and pray for you and respect you. They are the best people you could have around. I love my culture, and everything about it."
The two began high school together at St. John Bosco before Satele graduated and went off to San Jose State, and Malau'ulu transferred to Long Beach Poly for his final year of high school. One of their favorite memories together was having the chance to go to American Samoa. They got to experience the way of life first-hand.
"That experience of going back to American Samoa made us appreciate where we are at. A lot of kids out there don't have the opportunities or the resources like we do out here," said Satele.
It puts a lot of things into perspective. Satele notes that kids there played football barefoot, sharing equipment and some playing without equipment. The kids in American Samoa often use old, donated equipment from LA area high schools, including Long Beach Poly.
"We are blessed to be where our feet are," said Satele. "We are grateful for our culture, it is not just an identity, it is a way of life for us."
As the president of the AIGA Foundation, Malau'ulu's father hosts sports camps in American Samoa in an effort to expose different sports to children there and encourage young athletes to pursue sport at the next level. One softball camp in particular was scheduled for December 2023, when Malau'ulu was set to sign his National Letter of Intent to play at Fresno State.
He signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his football career from the hotel lobby in Pago Pago, American Samoa.
"We set up a booth in the hotel. It was sick to see the whole island come out to support me on that day," said Malau'ulu when he signed his NLI. "A bunch of kids came up to me and told me, 'That is so cool, I want to play football now,' and just seeing that, and inspiring them to go play football. I didn't grow up there, but I have been there, and the way they grow up, and just not having everything that we have here. Seeing them wanting to be able to play football, it drives me to push even further."
Football is special to Satele and Malau'ulu in unique ways. Their Fresno State ties began before they knew they would be Bulldogs themselves.
Satele's late father Fai Satele played football at Fresno State from 2000-03. He was recruited to be a Bulldog by former head coach Pat Hill, who is still around the program to see Jairus carry on the Satele legacy. After beginning his collegiate career at San Jose State, Jairus chose to attend Fresno State to continue his dad's legacy and to play in the same shoes as his dad. Fresno State is also where his parents first met, but he looks forward to being the first in his family to graduate from college, especially from Fresno State.
Malau'ulu also comes from a family of athletes, as his father George was a standout quarterback at the University of Arizona from 1989-92. He was the first collegiate Polynesian quarterback known to be ambidextrous. More Fresno State ties are in the Malau'ulu family, as Hill coached George at Arizona as the offensive coordinator. Also on that Wildcat staff was Bulldog special teams coordinator John Baxter.
Now together as Bulldogs, Satele and Malau'ulu have gone through this journey together. Malau'ulu was an early enrollee in January 2024, coming in at the same time as Satele. This helped make the transition into college a little easier, having an older, familiar face with him through the change.
"It was the biggest blessing having him here," said Malau'ulu on having Satele here to help him get up to speed in college. "When I got here, it was just me and another early enrollee freshman. I didn't have anybody else here in my class. Navigating school and navigating life with him here was great. He helped me move in. He took me grocery shopping. He took me to church and FCA. He was that older brother I needed to transition from high school to here. I couldn't say thank you enough. That was love."
Malau'ulu soaked in his first year, learning through a redshirt season in 2024.
"It taught me patience and that not everyone can shine at one time," said Malau'ulu on redshirting his freshman year. "I went in with my head on fire just trying to win a spot, but growing up one year into the system, it taught me to focus on my alignments and my assignments. It eased my mind and helped me play a lot faster the next year."
For Satele, he played in 10 games his first year as a Bulldog but missed the 2025 season with an Achilles injury. His time that he was sidelined put the game into perspective for him, and he strengthened his connection with his faith.
"That time to sit down, I got to be grateful for everything," said Satele. "The game can be taken away any second. Before I got injured, I was content. I wasn't working as hard. Like that, it got taken away. A lesson for me, it taught me to be humble. You always have to stay grounded, and there are always things to work on."
Satele got to watch as Malau'ulu had his first bit of action last fall, stepping into the punt return role and being in the mix as a wide receiver target.
Both Satele and Malau'ulu returned this spring and had productive spring seasons for the Bulldogs. Although on opposite sides of the ball, they both hold each other to the standards of the program. They never let each other be complacent.
Entering summer, both Bulldogs are excited for the year ahead and have a special appreciation for the Bulldogs' coaching and support staff, as well as enjoying the moment with their teammates and each other. Satele and Malau'ulu are both great representations of their families, their culture and the Bulldog football program. Support the Bulldogs this fall, and be a part of the excitement. Season ticket deposits are available now.
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